#look at me. president of yap city

[uhuraisgay]

fic writer meme

ty lore @megafaunatic for tagging meee :3c

How many works do you have on Ao3?

fifty three as of today. tomorrow? who knows.... (probably still fifty three)

2. What's your total Ao3 word count?

518,435 words .... wrow.....

3. What fandoms do you write for?

historically its been all over the place but theres so much stuff rotting and dying in my gdrive that has never been posted so i feel like i have a broader actual ouvre than is represented on ao3. which is mdzs heavy at least in the past couple years

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

5. beyond all limit (wangxian i wrote for lore right after i first read the book) 4. if the story's over (moshang post-divorce get-together fic) 3. someone as good for me as you (written in 2016 for holster and ransom when i was reading check, please. LMAO) 2. at least as deep as the pacific ocean (written in 2015 in the clearest example of 'person distraught by the tragic ending of a tragedy misses the fucking point and writes a coffee shop au of achilles and patroclus after she read tsoa' ever, even bigger LMAO) 1. your name safe in their mouth (lsz gets his dad back, and other emotional adventures)

5. Do you respond to comments?

i used to try to reply to every comment i got but i stopped doing that around the same time i went to college and got more depressed. but i love reading comments and i sometimes reply if someone says something that moves me or like. asks me a question about the fic that i want to elaborate on? because i love to yap

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

i'm not really good at writing straight angst i feel like it's normally like. angst with catharsis. but i wrote some explorations on grief in the past couple years that i feel like have the angst factor (what i have of you about nhs after nmj dies, and then when your beard fell out about my sweetie pie kageyama tobio in middle school after his grandpa dies)

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

i have a lot of silly fluffy fics... idk i try to toe the line mostly of like. the joys and sadnesses of human experience but sometimes you just gotta fluff it up. i'll set the table, you can make the fire, which is book verse aziraphale/crowley living in a cottage and being in love, comes to mind....i love that one

8. Do you get hate on fics?

i don't think i've ever really gotten hate on a fic? i have been extremely lucky in that regard. especially since my whole ouvre from like 2014 onward is on that damn site and much of it is very cringeworthy.

9. Do you write smut?

not well!

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you have written?

i often will do like kind of a quasi-crossover kind of thing rather than a True Crossover wherein i take characters i like from one medium and plop them into the roles and places of characters i like from another medium. i did a dragon age wangxian fic where lwj was the inquisitor from da:i called we held together the fragile sky that kind of exemplifies this dynamic

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that i know of or that anyone has ever notified me of, but i also don't look that hard. if this has ever happened, it would hurt my feelings, so please don't do it ? lol

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

yes!!!! and i was honored

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

not as such but i have one not-intended-for-posting fic which is basically just a transcription of jokes i have with my roommate about haikyuu characters LOL which i think counts as co-writing. she's my co-writer in spirit even if i'm the one at the keyboard

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

my answer to this changes with every new fixation i have. like right now it's kagehina. if you asked me four years ago i would have said wangxian. You Know?

15. What is a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

SO MANY...i think probably my fullmetal alchemist nie brothers au....i try not to post things until they are done and fully edited now, but that one was a whim-based fic that i lost all strength for as soon as i started thinking too hard about kagehina. i also had a fem nielan sci fi au that was vaguely based off beauty and the beast but nmj was like stuck in a ship and she thought she was its computer and that she was a program but she was actually a person....which i never posted any of except snippets on twitter and i think it was just too sprawling for my current skill level...i just was never able to wrangle it. but i am fond of it nonetheless

16. What are your writing strengths?

based on what other people have told me i would say the way i write sibling / family relationships, and while my prose is not always pretty i do think it can be pretty at times ...

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

i feel like it's often too self-indulgent even if that's what fic is for lol, and i tend to look back on fics and think, i wrote that because i had feelings about it and wanted to say it, but i'm not necessarily sure that This Character would say/do that at this point in time....idk like i fear that when i don't think about it hard enough my characterization can be weak or guided by what eye personally would do vs. what The Character would do. but some of that is because the majority of my fics on ao3 are from years and years ago and i (hopefully) have continued to improve

18. Thoughts of writing dialogue in another language in fics?

i'm picky about it but when it's done well i think it's really fun and builds so much of the world/character. i think when it's bad it's really bad. when i go about it i try to think about like, a) do i know this language myself/do i know someone who does. if the answer is no i try to keep it really minimal. b) how do people who know multiple languages approach speaking those multiple languages naturally in real life. like (IN MY EXPERIENCE) ppl don't tend to switch languages for random words mid-sentence unless those words are like, mom, dad, uncle, aunt, ect...maybe swearing if they're less familiar with one of the languages and don't know slang/swearing in it...but again when it's done well it's really good and i'm not an expert. i just can kinda tell when it feels off when i read it, if that makes sense...(it's the same way i feel about grammar lol. sometimes i can just tell it's a little Off)

19. First fandom you wrote for?

probably either fma or soul eater or the sister's grimm book series when i was in middle school. or maybe doctor who? idk i had a lot of fanfic notebooks that i have since destroyed and then regretted destroying

20. Favorite fic you have written?

at the present moment it's in these coming years my kagehina love letter but again i feel like it changes constantly. like the more i write the better i get and the more the newest/most polished thing i've written sort of Becomes my favorite just by default of my satisfaction level with it. sorry if that's a bad answer

tagging @yuebings @dcyiyou @burins @cairoscene @cafecliche @perilously sorry if you've been tagged already also if you want to do this and i didn't tag you just say i did. I'll shut up now

#look at me. president of yap city #anyway here's my Distinguished Writing Thoughts.

[thr-333]

Drastic Measures- Part 7

@daminette-december2019-2020

~Chill~

Wrote it all in an hour and 20 minutes just about? Not bad, not bad at all.

Ao3

First< Previous

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“Why! Why does it have to be so cold!” Marinette pulls on her coat tighter.

“Why did you come if you’re just going to complain?” Damian scowls, looking over the list they were given.

“Dick asked me to,” Marinette shivers, “Besides I need to get out and see the city, you said you would show me,”

“I only agreed to this because Dick insisted I apologize for trying to kill you,”

“You were trying to kill me?”

“... No?”

“Damian,”

“Fine,” He pulls off the sweater he was wearing, the one she had made him, “My bad, now keep warm,”

“My bad is not an apology,” Marinette chides pulling the sweater on, “If you didn’t like the sweater you could have just said so,”

“That's not-” Damina turn to see her smirk, tutting then turning back around, “You're incorrigible,”

“Your apology is accepted,” Marinette giggles skipping slightly to catch up, she takes note of how he shivers as a gust of wind blows through, “Hey you're cold now right? I have an idea,”

“I’m not cold,” Damian snaps, picking up the pace, “Unlike you, I have more discipline than that,”

“Oh please, you grew up in the desert right?” Damian glares at her, “What? You think I didn’t know anything? Maman not as good at hiding things as she thinks she is,”

“Be careful where you say that,” He warns, they walk for a little while more the temperature dropping. Marinette continues to keep an incredulous eye on Damian. After ten minutes he sighs, “What's your idea?”

“It involves me getting on your back,”

“Not a chance,” Damian tuts, “You could stab me in the back,”

“Literally or figuratively?” Another glare but Marinette just smiles under it, “Fine then, I’ll just take this sweater off and we can both freeze,”

“Don't be ridiculous,” Damian snatches it off her, “I’ll just wear it,”

And so he does. They walk for a while longer Marinette simultaneously congratulating and cursing herself for picking such a warm fabric for Damian's sweater as she shivers in the cold Gotham winds. Her teeth are chattering and they are still a long way off from their destination. Marinette starts to slow down, ever since she had become ladybug her tolerance to the cold was lowering, like how Adrien's eyesight at night kept improving; although she probably got the short end of the stick for that one. Her thoughts are interrupted by a long suffered sigh from Damian.

“Fine, we’ll do your plan,”

“Really?!”

“If we actually want to get there today, yes,”

 ---

 “This was your plan!” Damian shouts as they run down the street.

“It’s a great plan!�� Marinette clings to his back.

“Everyones staring,” Damian scowls, the sweater just big enough to stretch over both of them locking Marinette against his back.

“Then run faster!”

“Maybe if you stopped strangling me I would!”

“Oh please, stop being dramatic,”

“Why don't you start running and we’ll see whos being dramatic!”

“I could probably get there before you!”

“Yeah right, you-”

“Wait! Wait! Go back!” Marinette tugs, Damian lets out a choked sound stopping as he brings his hands up to remove hers.

“What,” He is unable to get her off with the sweater around them both.

“Pet store,” Marinette shimmies down, managing to get out with some difficulty, “Look how cute- wait,”

“Where are you going!” Damian calls as she storms into the pet store, he trails reluctantly behind her. Marinette walks right up to the desk slamming her hand down.

“Excuse me are you in charge of this store?”

“I’m the manager, yes,” The man raises an eyebrow looking up from his newspaper.

“Are you aware that the enclosure out there is filthy?” 

“Animals get dirty,”

“It’s a health code violation,” Marinette scolds, “You're going to make the animals sick,”

“Tt, she’s right,” Damian looks around the store, the rest of the cages in even worse condition, “Just what sort of business do you think you're running? These are live animals, you can’t even see into the fish tank at this point,”

“I’ve followed company policy,” The manger huffs, going back to the newspaper adding a mocking, “So if you want to take it up with anyone take it up with them,”

“Oh I will,” Damian hisses, before going to the other end of the store intently tapping at his phone.

“Ha, have fun getting bounced around the phones for the next ten hours,” The manager barks, Marinette rolls her eyes turning back to him.

“Look it may not be required by your employer but try to have some compassion these are living creatures, they look miserable,”

“Well then, why don’t you buy them if they look so miserable,”

“That's not the root of the problem and you know it,” Marinette reasons with the unreasonable, “You’ll just replace them with more animals, this place isn’t fit for that,”

She could just feel the negative energy coming from the place, a place of suffering for those who had no way out. Her magic had perked the animals up a bit but that wouldn't solve the problems at hand. Not that any of this seemed to get through to the manager as Marinette kept arguing. She brought up her phone and articles to help support her argument. Only finding to her disdain that the pet store franchise itself had a long history of animal abuse, that this was the norm, not an exception. They just threw money at any lawsuit that came their way and bribing inspectors.

“Why are you even working here if you hate-”

“Excuse me,” A new customer walks up, Damian close behind, “Could I look-”

“Do whatever you like!” The manager snaps, “Can’t you see I’m busy here?!”

“Do you treat all your customers like this? No wonder your not getting any business if the facilities alone didn’t scare people off,” Marinette finally snaps. Damian, dare she say looks impressed, which probably isn’t a good sign.

“You’re insulting me now?”

“I’ve been insulting you the past hour, nice of you to catch on,”

From there it devolves into a full argument. They rage while Damian and the other customer poke around the store, talking to each other. Damian keeps on making calls and Marinette wishes he would stop and come help back her up, he seemed just as disgusted with this place as she was. But whenever she sends a look his way Damian just brushes her off going back to his call.

The argument escalates. Marinette's magic lashing out, subconsciously sending the animals into a frenzy. Barks and howls ring out mixed with cat yowls and whatever noise the other animals can manage.

“Quiet down you!” The manager roars, winding up to hit a puppy yapping at him, Marinette moves just a fraction of a second too slow.

“How dare you,” Damian catches the fist, twisting the arm in a painful unnatural position, “You’re fired,”

“You can’t fire me!” He struggles in Damian's grip, who in turn looks completely unfazed by the effort.

“Actually I can,” Damina flips his screen around to show a contract, “I just brought the company,”

“You what?!” Both Marinette and the manager shout at the same time.

“Yes well, it was easy enough to get in touch with the president of the company, when I put in my offer he laughed me off,” Damian shrugs letting the shell shocked man go, “So I called in one of our best lawyers,”

Damian nods to the other customer, who nods back.

“She built a case for us compiling evidence from this store, thank you for full access by the way,” Damian looks smugly at the manager gaping like a fish, “Other lawyers were in charge of inspecting other stores and researching past allegations, and I had some working internationally look at the branches in other countries, the results were not flattering,”

Damian's glare turns cold and piercing. Marinette had been on the receiving end of that glare and would like to think she handled it better than this guy was.

“Couple that all with the declarations I recorded from you arguing with Marinette,” Damina inclines his head to her, Marinette nods kind of dumbly, “And we had quite the case to shut the business down, you can guarantee the Wayne influence and lawyers would prevent this all from being swept under the rug,”

“Wayne?!”

“Yes, and as you can imagine after we sent through the case file the owner wasn't laughing me off the phone, he agreed to my price,” The man was sweating buckets now as Damian advanced looming over him, “The contracts aren't finalized or signed yet but you can guarantee by the end of the week I will own this place,”

Damian leans over him as the manager tries to sink into the floor.

“So. You. Are. Fired.”

 ---

 “So are you going to teach me the glare that makes grown men pee their pants and run for their lives or do I have to figure it out myself?” Marinette teases, picking through the stocks in the back.

“You wouldn't be able to pull it off,” Damian shoots back, taking the bag she hands him, “An emergency demand was put out for new workers, they’ll be here soon to do this,”

“Oh no you don’t you little rich boy,” Marinette laughs at the face he makes, “You don’t just get to roll through here, throw some money at it and expect your job to be done, you took this company on so show a little responsibility,”

“I am taking responsibility,” Damian scowls, “I fully plan on improving this place,”

“What? By hiring someone to take over with the vague demands of ‘make it better’?” Damian sour look is all the answer she needs, “No way, this is your own responsibility and no one else's, so you need to take a long hard look at what's wrong and figure out how to fix it,”

“If I recall this all is partly your fault,” Damian stacks another bag where she told him too.

“If I recall I didn’t tell you to buy an entire pet store franchise,” Not that she didn’t approve, “But fine, I’ll help you out if you want,”

“I didn’t say that,”

“You didn’t have to,” Damian huffs and looks away, Marinette smiles and picks up a bag of food, “First things first, the food is horrible quality, it’s all filler with little nutritional value,”

“I’ll order new stock right away,” Damian takes out his phone, Marinette snatches it from him.

“Hold on now,” Damian gives her that little put off look she finds adorable, “You have to look at all the problems first then make a plan of action or you're just running around like a headless chicken,”

“Your point?”

“The staff are also underpaid, it’s not enough to live off and certainly not enough to motivate a good work ethic,” Marinette hands back the phone, Damian pockets it, “So before you go around firing everyone that's ever worked here why don’t you try changing the bones of the company then picking out the bad seeds?”

“Alright,” Damian concedes, “... You have a point,”

“Was that tough to admit?”

“The only excruciating part of it is your smugness,”

“Why hello kettle,” Damina gives her a light glare but she just laughs it off.

“All these changes are going to be expensive,” Damian frowns looking through the statistics the lawyers had sent them, “The company was already falling into debt,”

“It needs a hook,” Marinette hums, “Something new and unique that no other chain has…. I got it!!”

She brushes past him, going for her sketchbook and starting the brainstorming process.

“Would you like to share your epiphany?” Damian asks after about five minutes of watching her sketch. “An exclusive pet clothesline!”

“Oh boy,”

 ---

 “See I was right wasn't I?” Marinette finishes fixing the outfit onto Titus.

“I was under the impression you were going to make something vapid and ridiculous,” Damian deflects, looking at the raincoat Marinette had made for Titus, it fit him perfectly and worked well with his fur color as well, “This is at least useful,”

“Wow, that might be a bigger compliment than ‘it’s well made’ or is it?” Marinette cocks her head to the side, “Should I start a ‘Damian's compliments’ tier list?”

“Do not,” Damian calls Titus back to him, taking off the raincoat, “This should at least partly help make up for the new expenses,”

“What changes should we make first?” Marinette follows Damian inside, already sketching new designs into her book.

“There's no point in launching the pet clothes until the company goes through its rebrand, and that will take some time anyway,” They settle in a study they had commandeered to work together in, a sewing machine up near the window, “By the way whats your design fee?"

“Hm… make me a co-owner and we’ll forget about the design fee,” Marinette smiles as Damian doesn't immediately look disgusted by the prospect, “Besides If I recall this is partly my fault,”

“Fine co-owner,” Damian rolls his eyes at her, “I guess we’ll be drafting a new contract,”

“Make sure our shares are 50/50,”

“80/20,”

“Awe you’d let me have 80%”

Damian gives her a withering glare with no heat.

“50/50,” Marinette holds out her hand, “Equal,”

“... Equal,” Damian takes her hand, “You better design a lot of clothes,”

“Already on it,” Marinette holds up her new sketchbook, dedicated to just this, “Plus I’ll be part of the planning so let me in on it,”

“I was-” Damian cuts off glaring towards the door, Marinette follows his eye to see Dick and Adrien caught like deer in headlights looking at them with phones held up.

“Adrien!” Marinette starts towards them getting overtaken by Damian as they both start sprinting.

“Delete it or I destroy your phone!” He threatens, chasing them down the hall.

“Already backed it up to several computers!” Dick calls back, disappearing around the corner, the three yells disappearing into the distance. Marinette chuckles to herself, going back to finish up her designs.

--------

No tag list :P

#miraculous #miraculous ladybug fic #miraculous ladybug #miraculous fanfic #MLB #ML #ml fic #Marinette #miraculous marinette #badass marinette #maribat #daminette

[marvelsswansong]

a/n: repost since tags weren’t working, I LOVED WRITING THIS THOUGH. This was for my Friday Sleepover :) (now over, I’ll do it again next week)! 

** TW for domestic violence.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“There’s a patient in the west wing asking to see you.”

Steve frowned at Bucky’s comment, checking the time on his wristwatch. It was three am on a Wednesday, who the hell would want to see him while he was working a night shift at the ER?

“Who is it?” Steve pressed, rolling up his sleeves and setting down the form that he was filling out. His best friend shrugged, moving out of the way of a nearby nurse rolling a cart down the hallway and ushering him off of his seat.

“Not sure. Says you guys went to high school together.”

That piqued his interest and Steve thanked Bucky before disappearing down the hallway, quickly making a left turn and bursting through the emergency doors. Three beds down from the one closest to the entrance, he saw the figure of a woman lying down on a bed, concealed by the pull away curtains.

“You asked to see me, miss?” he muttered, pulling the curtains back. His breath caught in his throat when you turned around and smiled at him, a small smile reminiscent of the one you gave him on the last day he’d seen you face to face- high school graduation.

“(Y-Y/n)?”

Your smile dropped and you looked at the ground, slightly embarrassed.

“Been a while, right? Like 6 years.”

The six years had been kind to you, Steve thought, the pale hospital lighting and dull grey robes still not being able to dull your evanescent beauty. You looked just like he remembered, soft eyes, glowing hair, plump lips, your hands sitting pretty crossed against your lap as the fabric of your clothes wrapped around your thighs. The only differences were the split gash on your lip and the large bruises coloring your left cheek and your arms an ugly mix of purple and green. Upon feeling his eyes on your injuries you shifted uncomfortably, covering your bruises with the plastic blanket on the side of your hospital bed and smiling weakly at Steve.

“What... what happened?” he had to force his question out, his brain at a lost for words for seeing your beautiful body battered and bruised by someone else. His mind immediately went to one person, but he didn’t want to assume.

“I was moving some boxes and I dropped some on me, you know how clumsy I am.” you forced out a giggle, hoping he would buy it. Steve’s lips pressed into a thin line but he didn’t push it further, sitting down on a chair across from you and holding out his hand. He examined your injuries and started to clean the open wound on your lips, the sting of the alcohol causing you to hiss.

“How fresh are these bruises, doll? Any of them feeling like they’re flaring up or swelling?”

He smelled just like how you remembered- home. Freshly pressed laundry, clean cut cologne, a pot of coffee boiling in the kettle. His touch was soft and his fingers were dancing across your skin, not wanting to press any of your injuries. You’d almost forgotten just how blue his eyes were as well, and how they looked at you like you were the most important thing in the world.

“Only the one on my arm is swelling.”

He was quiet as he carefully placed an ice pack onto your skin and asked you to hold it, your eyes shamelessly admiring the way his muscles flexed under the tight white shirt and the doctor’s coat as he turned out to retrieve some elastic bandages. You cursed yourself internally and looked down. You should not be thinking about Steve this way.

You’d been broken up for 6 years. You were a married woman.

“So... are you seeing anyone?” you asked carefully, thanking him quietly when he started to wrap the bandage around your arm. He laughed and shook his head sideways, shrugging off your question.

“Nah. My schedule doesn’t allow for much free time... I was with Peggy Carter, remember her?”

You shove him lightly, teasing him.

“Of course I remember her, Steve. She was our class president.”

“Right. Well we dated a bit when we both ended up going to the same university but... it didn’t work out. She just-”

‘She just wasn’t you’ is what he wanted to say but he bit his tongue, the glare of the wedding ring on your left hand bringing him back to reality.

“She just wanted different things from me.” he finished, taping the bandage nicely. “There.”

You examined his handiwork in the light and smiled.

“Thanks, doc. You know, I always knew you’d be an amazing doctor.”

He smiled back.

“Why’s that?”

You looked at him as if he was crazy.

“Are you kidding? You’re the kindest, most caring, most selfless person I know. I’ve yet to meet anyone who risked their life by getting out of their car to save a puppy while it was crossing the freeway in the middle of rush hour.”

The memory caused Steve to blush- he remembered that day vividly. The two of you were on your way back from your two year anniversary dinner in San Francisco. He’d pulled over on the side and risked getting run over by a rush of cars to rescue one tiny golden retriever crossing the highway, leaving you by the steering wheel all by yourself. You wanted to scold him for holding up the entire highway but you couldn’t find it in your heart to do so when he’d came back and gave you the biggest grin ever, the soft ball of fur happily yapping in the backseat.  

“Even more kind and caring than Brock?”

He regretted the question the moment it escaped his lips, but he couldn’t help himself, it was too tempting. Everyone in your high school knew that you married Brock Rumlow, the son of New York city’s mayor, after just one year of dating at university, and it was the talk of the town when Steve first came back to Brooklyn after his freshman year at university.

His question felt like freezing water hitting your skin and you took in a sharp breath, not sure if you should tell him. Brock had already been calling you all night since you’d ran away from home, your phone constantly going off with excessive messages and never ending voicemails. But you missed Steve.

You missed not being afraid.

“Yeah.” you whispered quietly. “You’re a lot, a whole lot more, kind and caring than Brock.”

Steve slowly moved in, his hand rubbing circles into yours as he looked into your eyes.

“You can tell me anything. Seriously, I promise, you’re safe here. Did... did Brock do this to you?”

You’d spent the last five years of your marriage lying. It was necessary, considering Brock was following in his father’s footsteps of being an influential politician, and something you’d gotten used to doing. Breathe, smile, laugh and sing his praises. Talk about how Brock was an amazing husband who put your needs first and cared about the community. It couldn’t have all been further from the truth. He was abusive, temperamental and a serial cheater. He was an alcoholic and mean.

You should’ve lied.

But when he looked at you, all those feelings came rushing back and the words were tumbling out of your mouth faster than the tears spilling from your eyes.

“He did. H-he’s awful, Steve. He’s been yelling and throwing and hurting me f-for years but I never said anything because he’s my husband and he’s a politician and I didn’t want to ruin his career a-”

The rest of your sentence dissolved into sobs as he quickly embraced you, his thick arms wrapping around your waist as you leaned against his chest. All Steve could see was red, he knew from the start that Brock would never be good enough for you, but he had let it go because he thought you had moved on. Seeing you now, however, six years later, broken and a shell of the woman you were, it made him sad and angry and his fingers itch to punch that bastard’s face in.

“It’s okay, doll. You’re safe now. You don’t ever have to go back.”

“M-my life is over if I leave him, Steve. What about all my stuff? Where am I going to live? W-what are people going to think?”

His grip tightened on you and he shakily kissed the crown of your head, soothing your cries.

“You can move in with me, doll. And fuck what others think. You deserve so much better than that shit head. I always knew he’d never be good enough for you.”

There was a few moments of silence before you spoke the sentence he’d been thinking the whole time.

“We should’ve never broken up. I missed you.”

He moved onto stroking your hair, not caring that Bucky just entered the room and he quietly ushered his friend out with his spare hand. He kissed you multiple times all over your face, his fingers brushing away your tears and he hugged you gently.

“I missed you too. But you won’t have to, anymore.”

His kiss on your lips was gentle. And it was weird, because you hadn’t felt anything gentle in five years.

“Because I’m not letting you go this time.”

#steve rogers x reader #steve rogers x you #steve rogers x y/n #friday sleepover

[cosmic-hearts]

sunshower | lee jeno

lee jeno x reader 

genres; fluff, romance, very slight angst 

warnings; real cringey and cliche tbh (but otherwise none)

summary: a sunshower is a meteorological phenomenon in which rain falls while the sun is shining. 

You always knew you were a child of the rain. In fact, the day you were born, the city was struck by one of the heaviest thunderstorms ever in history, and for the first few days of your life, lightning bolts would clash in deafening roars and hail would descend, spiralling sharply through the chaos under the grey skies as you slept soundly through it all. Born of storms and raised by thunder, you felt most alive when the cold wind nipped at your ears and icy droplets of rain pricked at your skin, sending spurts of electricity shooting through your system. 

You also knew that not everyone liked the rain. In fact, some others hated it. This fact irked you very much— after all, who could detest of the feeling of sweet little drops of coolness kissing one’s skin lightly, like sprinklings of stardust, of the misty, elusive wind gently nuzzling one’s hair like the touch of a familiar lover?

Well, apparently Lee Jeno did. 

If you were the heiress of the storm, Lee Jeno was the descendant of the sun. 

For into his veins were woven sunshine and daylight, and when he smiled, his eyes morphed into sunbeams, casting rays of light so unbelievably bright. The only thing dark about him was his hair, but even so, it was a luxuriant sort of black that shone under the sunlight, giving it a dappled glow. His very being exuded warmth, drawing people to him like moths to a flame. Unlike the storm which holds a more covert, concealed sort of charm people find harder to uncover, the sun’s glory is highly visible, its warm rays easily felt and indulged in. 

That was Lee Jeno. The polar opposite of you. 

And you were perfectly happy to stay clear of him like you always did; after all, how could the sun and the storm coexist? 

He couldn’t seem to do the same, though. 

The clashing of elemental forces began when he caught you playing truant during gym class. In your defence, you simply couldn’t help yourself; the skies had darkened to a lovely silvery hue and a light, hazy drizzle had begun. This kind of rain was one of your many favourites, because it meant that you could frolic freely within its depths without fear of getting too wet and therefore sick. You had tried going out into a massive storm before, and it hadn’t gone down well with both your immune system and your parents. 

So the weather was simply irresistible, and the rain had called enticingly out to you in sweet, seductive whispers. You couldn’t miss this opportunity. And so when you thought no one was paying attention, you slipped quietly out of gym class and headed straight for the rooftop, where you could bask in the pure, unadulterated joy of being alone with the one thing you love most. 

All was well, until a voice struck you out of your reverie, and that’s when you looked up to see Lee Jeno coming towards you with a frown on his usually cheerful face. 

“What are you doing out here?” His voice is muffled slightly by the pitter-patter of raindrops colliding onto the cement beneath your feet.

Truth to be told, this is the first time you’re seeing him upset. Usually he’s always smiling, and nothing seems to faze him. 

“I could say the same to you,” you shoot back, annoyed that your peace has been disturbed. You’re not antisocial—at least, you wouldn’t admit you were—but you just really treasure your alone time. Being with people drains the energy out of your system, but for Lee Jeno, it seems like he thrives off being around others, like a leech feeding off their energy. 

“I followed you,” Jeno says matter-of-factly, “I was curious.”

You roll your eyes and swing your feet over the ledge, dangling them over the cityscape below you. Jeno’s eyes widen at this and he immediately rushes to your side, placing his hands firmly on your shoulders, steadying you. 

“What are you doing?!” He exclaims, visibly shaken by your bold action. 

His touch sends heatwaves of shock burning through your skin and fizzing through your nerves. Perhaps it is because he is the sun and you are rain, so his touch feels extra hot to you. So warm and foreign is this feeling that you almost flinch under his palm. 

“Look, it’s fine. I do this all the time,” you say curtly, moving your shoulder ever-so-slightly to shake off his hold. 

At this, Jeno sighs, resigned to your unwavering obstinance. “Okay, fine. But you’re gonna catch a cold if you stay out here for too long.”

“Jeno, why do you care?” You weren’t trying to be a smart mouth, but you genuinely could not fathom Lee Jeno’s sudden interest in caring for your welfare. You two had never been close, nor was he responsible for you in any way.

“I’m class president. It’s my duty to look out for my classmates,” he says robotically, and it sounds rehearsed to your ears. 

You smirk a little. “Go look after the rest of them at gym class then. Make sure they don’t get hurt.” 

Jeno sighs, before crouching down on the ground and taking a seat beside you. He crosses his legs, though; he harbours no particular desire to fall to his death. 

“I was just worried, all right? I mean, who goes out to the rooftop in this weather?”

You ignore his yapping by your ear, instead holding out your hand, imagining resting all your burdens and troubles on your palm. With every raindrop that comes into contact with your palm, you feel life’s worries being washed away into oblivion, gifting you with a clean, fresh slate that’ll last until the next rainfall. You’d been doing this since you were young; it amused your parents to no end, but no one understood the significance of this little ritual you held dear to your heart.

“You’re noisy,” you say, your tone not biting or sharp but more factual. “You talk a lot, Jeno.” 

At this Jeno stops rambling, opting instead to scratch the back of his neck with his hand. “Ah, really? I’m just… trying to fill the silence, I guess. You’re really quiet, you know.” 

You smile slightly and turn your head to the side so that Jeno can’t see it. 

“I have to go now. I’ll just… tell Mr Kim that you’re not feeling well.”

You raise an eyebrow. “You’re not going to report me?”

At this, Jeno chuckles lightly. “Hey, I can’t fault you for hating fitness conditioning, can I? Who in their right mind likes burpees?”

You actually don’t mind the burpees, but you decide not to tell him the real reason you’re skipping. Not that you mind, but he’d probably brand you a freak if he didn’t already think you one. Again, not that you mind.

“But I will report you if you really get sick in the rain. Here,” Jeno says, shrugging off his jacket and placing it around your shoulders, as if it were the most natural thing to do. When his fingertips accidentally brush against your neck you feel a warm, crimson blush creeping across your cheekbones and you’re momentarily dazed. Every time he touches you it feels like you’ve been grazed by a ray of sunlight— so warm and gentle it feels that you honestly can’t find it in yourself to complain. Plus his jacket feels so cosy, and despite it being oversized it somehow manages to be a perfect fit for you. And you’re a sucker for oversized sweaters, especially during the rainy season.

“Much better,” he declares in satisfaction, “I’ll see you in class later.”

—

You don’t know what came over you when you caught sight of Lee Jeno a few weeks later stuck at the school gate, unable to go home because of the pouring rain, and instantly deciding that you couldn’t just pretend to not notice him and leave. 

You take a deep breath, braving yourself for the sacrifice you were about to make.

Marching right up to him, you thrust your only umbrella into his hand, before turning immediately on your heel and running off into the embrace of the heavy downpour, hearing Jeno yell your name amid the howling winds but refusing to look back.

I must be the greatest fool ever, you think to yourself as you feel your clothes beginning to cling to your skin, and cringe at the feeling of water seeping into your shoes and permeating through your socks. You weren’t exactly the most self-sacrificing person, and you have no idea what possessed you to act like an impulsive, idiotic teenager incapable of rational thought.

Cheers to getting a hell of a dressing-down from your mom about running in the rain. This wouldn’t be the first time, but if she knows you did it deliberately to help someone else, especially since it’s not like you forgot your umbrella or anything… You couldn’t even begin to fathom the consequences.

You reach the traffic light, where unfortunately you have to wait in the rain for the light to turn green, and in the meantime, the cold begins to ooze into your bones. The harsh wind pinches the tips of your ears and an involuntary shudder passes through your body. It’s especially cold today; you really don’t get cold easily and in fact you revel in it most times, but this is just too much. 

Suddenly the rain pouring over you seems to cease; it’s as though an imaginary umbrella has been held over your head. When you look you, you realize that it’s not an imaginary umbrella but a real one, and with a jolt you realize that it is in fact your umbrella and Lee Jeno is towering over you, his expression dark, perhaps even darker than the clouds marring the sky. 

“You’re so stupid, Y/N,” he says in a chiding tone, and you feel like a scolded puppy, but at the same time you can’t ignore the feeling of his warm breath hitting your cheek as he wraps an arm around your shoulders, pulling you close to him. The chill in your bloodstream begins to abate, replaced by a tingling sense of warmth that Jeno’s body heat provides. 

“Why the heck did you do that? Shit, you’re cold as ice. You’re gonna get sick tomorrow,” Jeno says, eyebrows furrowed deep with lines of worry. You looks even more upset than when he did when he caught you on the rooftop, and it scares you a little since Lee Jeno is never upset. 

“I-I’m fine,” you begin to stutter but you can barely squeeze another utterance in when you break out into a violent sneeze, and Jeno tightens his grip around you, pulling you impossibly closer to him.

“I’ll walk you to the bus stop,” he says, tone softer now, eyes gentler, too. You can barely hear him against the sound of rain lashing against the sidewalk but you know that his voice is strong and firm and strangely enough it comforts you, makes you feel safe. 

For the first time, you learn what it feels like to bask in someone’s warmth and company, even if no words are exchanged. Sometimes, silence deepens relationships the same way conversation does.

Honestly, It feels nice. 

It feels even better when Jeno hands you his sweater afterwards, a big grey oversized thing which smells warm and lemony and fresh, and makes sure you’re all snugly wrapped up before leaving you. 

That same day, after the cessation of the storm, a dazzling rainbow breaks through the saturnine clouds and you feel your heart lift with wings of hope. 

—

You hold two freshly washed and dried, neatly folded sweaters in your arms as you walk towards Jeno’s locker, where he’s standing with his back against the metal door. 

Just as you’re about to call out to him, a girl walks up to him and when Jeno sees her he breaks out into the largest smile you’ve ever seen, as if he’d just struck gold. It struck you then, how good they looked together; they both had that million-dollar smile that could light up the world and give direction to all the lost planets of the universe; they both had beautiful, bright smiling eyes, and they both looked like the world around them had dissolved into oblivion as they basked in each other’s company. 

You watch as the girl slips something into his hands, and his smile grows impossibly larger; it’s almost blinding. He places his hand on top of her head, ruffling her strawberry blonde tresses while she pouts in pseudo-annoyance.

If Jeno was your sun, this girl had to be his.

A slight, painful twinge seizes your heart. It’s slight, but it’s sharp. 

For you were perfectly aware that you could never be his sunshine.

Eyes downcast, you turn away from them and slip back into the shadows, just as huge storm clouds begin to loom in the overhead sky.

—

“I knew I’d find you here.”

The chilly winds that whipped your hair into tousled, tangled locks ceased the moment Jeno snuck out onto the rooftop to find you, armed with a big grin and his usual cheery countenance. You give him a feeble smile in return. 

“Here, take this. It’s good for colds,” Jeno says, thrusting a thin tea packet into your hands. 

“I’m not sick.”

“Hey, just take it, all right? I literally had to beg my sister for it; this is her favourite tea and she refuses to share it with anyone. After you braved that storm yesterday you’re bound to get a cold sooner or later.”

“Your… sister?” 

“Yeah, my little sister. She’s a selfish little brat, but I managed to convince her to give me one. Promise me you’ll drink it, I have to do all her chores for tonight in return,”Jeno says, insistent, as he curls his lips into a pout. How adorable. 

“O-Okay,” you say, still reeling slightly over the shock of having discovered that the girl that nearly caused you to lose your composure, was, in fact, Jeno’s younger sister. That explained the undeniable genetics.

“Thank you, Jeno,” you say sincerely, slipping the little packet of ginger tea in your coat pocket, “Help me say thank you to your sister as well. She’s adorable. You’re really lucky to have her.” She’s really lucky to have you. 

Jeno’s eyes widen at this and he nudges your shoulder in disbelief. “Hey, what are you saying? She’s lucky to have me as her older brother! The things I do for that little rascal. There was this one time she…”

You would have liked to say that you were paying attention to Jeno’s words, but unfortunately you were only paying attention to him; you get sucked into the gentleness of his gaze and it’s hard for you to focus on the utterances leaving his cherry lips. His eyes are beamy black, like pools of obsidian ink, yet their shine is so impossibly lustrous that it captivates you in a stronghold and refuses to let you go. 

And that’s when you realize that you’ve fallen irrevocably in love with the sun. 

—

With the cognizance that you had fallen in love with Lee Jeno, the boy who had been handcrafted by Apollo himself, came the crushing realization that your feelings would amount to nothing. 

He would never like you in that way, not when you two were polar opposites, elements of nature that should not and cannot coexist. He was a brilliant, vivid flame; you were the wind that snuffed it out. It wasn’t that you looked down on yourself or anything or thought that you weren’t good enough for him, you just thought you two couldn’t be more incompatible and being around him would just drive the wedge deeper into your heart, the wedge that told you that you two would never work. 

So you began your heart-wrenching struggle to distance yourself from him, to pretend that the spark between you two didn’t exist, that your feelings for him didn’t exist.

Jeno isn’t dumb; he’s painfully aware of the way you avoid his gaze, respond to his morning greetings with a perfunctory nod, pick the seat furthest away from him as possible during classes and bolt out of the classroom as soon as class ends, before he has the opportunity to get to you. He’s also deeply plagued with the worry that he’s scared you away with his advances; what if you found him annoying or worse, feared him? He’s tried his best to befriend you in the gentlest way possible, suppressing the urge within him that desires to let his true feelings out to you, telling himself not to rush things. 

Yes, Lee Jeno is in love with you, perhaps even more so than you were with him. He had been deeply intrigued by your love for the rain, by the way your eyes lit up whenever there was a downpour, by the way you so intrepidly embraced the element most people shied away from. The day you sacrificed your umbrella for him, as he watched your silhouette fade away into the rain, he felt so loved, but he also felt so damn angry at you for compromising your health for his sake, and a sleepless night confirmed that this mess of emotions was symbolic of the love he harboured for you. And soon it manifested in every little thing; just meeting your gaze was enough to make him weak, every friendly touch he shared with you was enough to set his heart on fire. He wishes so badly to be able to hold you closer, but he knows that you’re too amazing to fall for a guy like him, and he’s content with just being friends and getting to see your smile everyday. 

So it pains him to no end when you avoid him, and he spends every waking moment trying to figure out why.

Then it hits him.

What if you found out?

The thought is absolutely unbearable, and as though he’s been galvanized into action by some unseen force, he races out into the pouring rain onto the rooftop, where he knows you’d seek refuge. 

Indeed, there you sit, holding out your hand to the sky, letting the drops of cool rain rinse away the worries on your palm. Unbeknownst to Jeno, today you had mentally placed on it your love for him and commanded the rain to wash it away into obscurity. Usually this ritual is a refreshing process for you, and lifts all your burdens off your shoulders, but today it simply makes your heart grow heavier, and with every drop of rain that lands on your skin you feel a sort of aching emptiness gnaw away at your soul. 

I’m sorry, Jeno.

Suddenly, your feel a strong, warm grip on your outstretched palm, and as you squint you realize that Jeno is in front of you, interlacing his fingers with yours as he brings your palm down, away from the rain and by his side. 

He takes a deep breath, and as you look closely at him you realize that his face is wet and his eyes are red, and you can’t tell whether he got soaked in the rain or he’s been crying.

“Hey,” he whispers, his voice a soft baritone, and your resolve just about crumbles right then and there. You didn’t realize how much you missed his voice, his face, his presence, his everything.

“I’m so sorry,” he says, stepping closer to you, your legs almost pressing against his torso. “I shouldn’t have fallen in love with you.”

That is when your universe ceases rotation.

“Y-You what?”

“I’m in love with you, Y/N. I know I ruined things between us by falling in love with you, and I’m really sorry. I just… I can’t help it. I know you don’t feel the same way, that’s why you’re avoiding me, but I really needed to talk to you and—,”

“Lee Jeno, stop it.”

Jeno’s eyes widen in hurt and his grip on your hand loosens, his gaze downcast. “Sorry.”

“N-No, that’s not what I meant. I have something to say.”

You suck in a deep breath, and when you take his other hand in yours, he looks up at you again, question filling his eyes.

“Listen carefully, all right? I… I’m not avoiding you because I don’t like you, I’m avoiding you because… I like you so much that it hurts being around you knowing that you won’t like me back.” 

It takes a moment for the impact of your words to hit Jeno, and when it finally registers, when he’s untangled your mess of verbalization to uncover your heart that now beats for him, he breaks out into the most beautiful smile, eyes disappearing into little crescents. 

“Will you let me show you how much I like you?” Jeno asks, puppy eyes alight with hope. 

You nod slightly, and Jeno raises both hands to cup your cheeks. His touch feels like the soft caress of warm sunglow, and you feel your cheeks burn in all their crimson glory. If Jeno noticed it, he doesn’t show it, as he’s too busy trying to calm his own beating heart. His eyes flutter shut and he presses his lips against yours, and all your thoughts halt. 

His lips are slow, sweet and gentle against yours, and yet it is more than anything you could ever have imagined. The kiss is soft and mellow, a beautiful emblem of your newfound, realised love. It is at that moment that you finally understand what it’s like to be sunkissed. 

When you two finally part you see that the sun has emerged from behind the dark clouds, casting its rays around you and Jeno in a warm embrace, but it’s still raining. The raindrops capture the sunlight during their descent, resembling little bits of spun gold fresh from the heavens. 

A sunshower.

You look at Jeno and smile. The sun and the rain can become one, after all. 

“You know, I used to be jealous of the rain that fell on your skin,” Jeno says, breaking the silence.

“Why?”

“It was closer to you than I’d ever been.” 

It’s a terrible, cheesy line, probably stolen from Tumblr, but you smile, taking his hand and lacing his fingers between yours. 

“Not anymore, my sun.”

a/n; aye its my first full-blown nct dream oneshot! hope you guys like it even though i cringed sooo hard when i was proofreading this and i legit regretted writing it lmao but i still wanted to put it out,,, feedback would be much appreciated :) also i haven’t forgotten about the jaemin fic i promised... like ages ago lmao i should really get down to it

#nct dream #nct dream imagines #nct dream soft hours #dreamwritersnet #lee jeno #lee jeno imagines #lee jeno fluff #lee jeno soft hours #lee jeno scenarios #fluff #lee jeno nct #jeno nct dream #jeno nct #romance #highschool au #fanfiiction #nct dream fanfic #nct dream fanfiction

[warmau]

im a long hair johnny advocate | 90s skater bf!au 

the afternoon sun is too hot for the middle of march and you’re getting more and more tired of waiting by the minute

johnny said he was going to meet me here half an hour ago, if he doesn’t show in five - im leaving his ass in the dust!

but just as you shrug off your uniforms blazer 

fanning your neck with a folder of your schoolwork 

you hear the sound of wheels on gravel,  followed by the laid-back and deep voice of your boyfriend 

“sup dude, hope you weren’t planning on dipping just because i was kinda late!”

you glare at him

“you bet i was, where the hell were you?”

“got lectured by that buzz kill president, uhhh like what’s his name? daehyun?”

“doyoung”

“yeah! and you know how he is, just yaps in your ear for an hour about rules and how i gotta cut my hair to ‘adhere to the standard’. ‘twas brutal bro”

you can’t help but lighten up at that with a small giggle

johnny has had an ongoing war with just about everyone in school over that hair of his

not to mention the fact that he hasn’t worn the actual school uniform since you two were freshman

opting for beat-up looking flannels, band shirts, and chinos that are dusted below the ankles from falling of his board all the time

most people don’t know why you guys are dating

you’re polar opposites - or are supposed to be at least

he’s a slacking, lanky goofball who thinks skateboard tricks and setting things on fire in the backyard are a source of real entertainment

you’re a studious student whose part of the schools choir and takes afterschool college prep 

but neither you or johnny has ever really cared about what others think

when he asked you out a couple of months prior, looking shy for the first time as he leaned up against the side of your locker

his fellow friends, yuta and mark laughing their heads off from around the corner of the hall

you were skeptical

“johnny, im not going to fall for this kind of prank -”

you’d started, but he’d just dropped a mix tape he’d made for you in your hands

the CD covered in those glossy stickers you could win in the claw-game down at the local grocery

cut out letters from magazines spelling out your name

you’d went home and listened to it on repeat for the whole night

ska-punk and grunge weren’t really your thing - not until you realized how sentimental all the lyrics were

gushing about the pains of one-sided love and the beauty of an unattainable crush

you showed up the next day, ignoring the usual group of people you’d hang out with and marched right up the school entrance stairs

johnny, with his other friends were sitting on the top ledge - taking swigs from a brown bagged bottle and laughing over a shitty tattoo someone had gotten last night (totally illegally)

and when you’d waltzed over - they all stared

the whole school stared

but you pulled johnny down by the collar of his nirvana t-shirt

and kissed that boy right on the lips

no one had said anything for a good minute and a half till yuta sparked up in applause and punched johnny playfully in the shoulder

“dude, they just totally made out with you in front of everyone! that’s dope!”

his friends immediately warmed up to you 

saying that anyone with enough balls to do that was considered a friend - and hey,,,,,if you could help some of them pass pre-calc that’d be great too

but out of everyone it was johnny who really fell in love

he’d liked you since he first saw you, had even contemplated chopping his hair off and going preppy to get your attention

but when he said that you’d shaken your head, sliding into his lap on the basement couch of his friend mark’s place

running your hands through his hair, looking up at him with your lips parted

“the hair is hot, i dig it.” 

it had taken all of johnny’s strength not to flip you over and start kissing you - only marks voice coming from upstairs letting you know the pizza had gotten delivered has stopped him

whatever it was, you and johnny were drawn to each other

falling more and more in love as the days passed on 

and today he’d promised he’d take you to the skate park and show you couple of neat tricks

you’d always been too afraid to try skating, but you enjoyed watching johnny have fun 

and every now and then he’d convinced you to get on - just so he could hold you around the waist and keep you steady

but as you guys turned to make your way out of the schools parking lot, you were surprised to see you weren’t going in the usual direction

“hey, isn’t the park that way?”

johnny takes a hold of your hand, lacing his fingers with yours

“yeah, but i wanna take you somewhere else.”

you don’t know where you’re going, but you’re with johnny so it’s ok

you follow him as he leads you toward the bus stop, telling you to call your mom and let her know you’re probably going to be ‘sleeping over’ at a friends house

you do it, shutting the nokia off as you throw it into your bag and join johnny back at the bus stop

“are we going on a trip or something?”

he shakes his head

“nah, it’s something less exciting but still - i think you’ll like it”

the bus comes and you rest your head against his shoulder, he places his board below the seats and wraps an arm around you - letting you play with the rubberband bracelets on his wrist 

every now and then leaning up to kiss the side of his jawline

you end up in front of some dingy looking bar in the city, johnny tells you to stick close and you feel a little panicked when you follow him down to a basement door

it’s covered in stickers of rock bands and johnny has to whisper some kind of code to get in

but when the door opens, you’re greeted by neon lights and live music and people everywhere

johnny weaves you through the crowd, throwing his board to someone that you recognize as a senior at your school 

you guys squeeze through till you’re up near the stage

and the musician who finishes his set passes the mic on to someone else

“johnny - is your favorite band playing tonight?”

“kinda, you’ll see babe”

the person up there introduces the next band and you’re super surprised to see familiar faces come out

yuta on the drums, mark on bass - but the singer -

johnny lets go of your hand, and you gasp as he jumps up onto the stage

he takes the mic and grins at his friends before locking eyes with you once more

“this song goes out to my angel - not only are they heavenly, but they’re fly as hell too!”

you immediately go crimson, but johnny starts to sing and your heart nearly bursts 

his voice is amazing, deep but emotional and you can’t believe that this song 

this song was written for you

johnny gives it his all, you can tell and the energy he puts out is received well by the crowd

you’re so proud of him, you’re so shocked that he’d been hiding such a talent from you for so long

and when it’s over and he hops back down to you

he’s a little sweaty, long hair a mess, but his eyes are that sparking gorgeous brown

and he asks

“did you like it?”

you jump up, and he catches you - strong arms letting you cling to his neck as you mumble that you didn’t like it - you loved it! and you love him!

he laughs against your neck, trying to move some of your own hair from your face so he can kiss you 

and just as his hand sneaks a little bit up your shirt

you can hear yuta’s voice from the side

“GET IT SEO!”

you pull back, hand over your mouth as johnny tries to shoo his friends away

he turns back to you after rolling his eyes at yuta, but you take him by the hand and lead him back toward where there isn’t so much noise

“hey, my mom thinks im spending the whole night at that friends house so like -”

your voice trails away and johnny tries to bite back a tiny smirk

the next day you and johnny arrive at school together, barely making the first bell

doyoung spots you both - eyes scanning before pointing at the collar of johnny’s flannel 

“and what are those if you don’t mind me asking?”

you want to say they’re bruises - johnny fell of his skateboard

but johnny just grins and goes

“hickies you nerd, ever heard of them?”

gosh you love him but why is he such an idiot sometimes ghkjdfsj

#this is so self indulgent #nct scenarios #nct imagines #nct au #nct 127 scenarios #nct 127 imagines #nct 127 au #johnny scenarios #johnny imagines #johnny au #member: johnny #youngho scenarios #seo youngho #johnny #nct #90s au

[bountyofbeads]

What Happens When Ordinary People End Up in Trump’s Tweets https://nyti.ms/32bCiou

🍁🏈🍂🍻🍁🏈🍂🍻🍁🏈🍂🍻🍁🏈

What Happens When Ordinary People End Up in Trump’s Tweets

By MATT FLEGENHEIMER | Published Nov. 2, 2019 | New York Times | Posted November 3, 2019 |

McCALLA, Ala. — The evening of April 29 passed like many others for Ben Rawls, a fire lieutenant in Tuscaloosa: settled in the rocking chair on his porch, amid empty beer cans and mosquito-fighting candles, tweeting to an audience of dozens until he got sleepy.

“Granted I am in Alabama,” Mr. Rawls, 45, wrote around 11 p.m., after a major firefighters’ union endorsed Joseph R. Biden Jr. for president, “but most of the firefighters I talk to are voting @realDonaldTrump.”

The morning of May 1, some 36 hours later, was less typical.

Mr. Rawls showered and took his daughters to school. He ignored his phone, until it yapped so insistently that he had to look. An ashbin of Twitter comments greeted him: Racist. Moron. “‘Toothless’ — that was a good one,” he recalled.

The most curious posts disputed Mr. Rawls’s very existence. Strangers accused him of being a bot. He replied to one with a video he recorded in his pickup. “Here I am,” he said to the camera. “No faking here.”

All told, it took about 12 hours for him to solve the mystery. Back in his rocking chair, he stared at a fellow Twitter user’s note of congratulations: Mr. Rawls had been retweeted by the president of the United States.

Along with the Republican allies, Fox News hosts and conspiracy-mongering trolls whose messages President Trump pinballs across the political arena, he has also elevated regular people whose words he finds pleasing. Perhaps no group understands the praise-seeking cyclone that is @realDonaldTrump better than these arbitrary few who have lived inside it, briefly and usually unwittingly.

Their brushes with cybercelebrity are a portal into the Twitter feedback loop powered and experienced by Mr. Trump — dark, caustic, skimpy on nuance — where the ripples of a single presidential tweet can be hard to fathom unless measured against the relative anonymity to which these users were accustomed. Mr. Rawls got 2,700 retweets and 14,000 “likes” with the boost from Mr. Trump. The reach of his tweets before and since, he estimated, was approximately zero.

For many of the retweeted, the temporary platform stands as a testament to a style of politics they have never seen before — one that has bonded the president to his followers, virtual or otherwise.

“No other president has ever done stuff like this,” said Curtis Vincent, a 35-year old in Bowling Green, Ky., who operates one of the more than 215 unverified accounts Mr. Trump has retweeted since taking office. “They’ve been on a higher pedestal.”

Mr. Rawls, Mr. Vincent and several others were retweeted by Mr. Trump on May 1 after responding to a post by a Fox News personality, Dan Bongino, about the fire union’s endorsing Mr. Biden.

Joining them in temporary Twitter fame was Joelle Palombo, 46, a Southern California resident with 11 followers, who had largely used her account to cheer on her daughter’s soccer team. But after Mr. Bongino tweeted that “NONE of the firemen” he knew were with Mr. Biden, she replied with a note of support for Mr. Trump from one “fire family” out West.

The flood of reactions so spooked Ms. Palombo that she enlisted her teenage son to help block anyone she saw in her feed. The purge took three days, she said, and included the president, who she did not realize had retweeted her until a reporter told her months later.

“I went and looked at his account, and I blocked him,” Ms. Palombo said of Mr. Trump. “That’s how scared I was. I’m just one tiny hair on a dog. Are you kidding me?”

Although her affection for the president persists, Ms. Palombo questions the value of his favored medium. “How many hours of the day do people put in to do this?” she said. “I don’t need to have a voice on this. I’ll vote.”

Others have found more purpose in the practice. Mr. Rawls described himself as a reluctant Trump voter in 2016. He preferred Ted Cruz during the Republican primary, and he winces at some of the president’s choices, including insulting John McCain well after the senator’s death.

But as the 2020 election approaches, Mr. Rawls suggests, the president’s Twitter output is a more effective galvanizer than even the slickest campaign ad. “The tweeting doesn’t bother me so much anymore,” he said. “I don’t really feel like I wasted a vote.”

And the validation of the president’s retweet has encouraged his own more quarrelsome instincts. “Before all this happened, I would type something out and say, ‘People will think I’m crazy,’” he recalled, citing prospective tweets that he scrapped.

Since May, these second thoughts have been rarer. He has called Anthony Scaramucci, the former White House communications director, a “bitter jerk.” He has shared a doctored video of Speaker Nancy Pelosi appearing to slur her words. He has weaponized a gif of Judge Judy (“Either you are playing dumb, or it’s not an act”) to mock Representative Eric Swalwell, a California Democrat promoting gun control.

“I’m a little bit less of a wallflower than I used to be,” Mr. Rawls said, crediting Mr. Trump’s retweet. “I guess you could say I was more emboldened.”

CATCHING HIS EYE

Capital letters help. Sentence structure can be disregarded. Mornings, East Coast time, are best.

Grabbing Mr. Trump’s attention on Twitter is more art than science — and, often, more fluke than art. But some who have been retweeted say there are certain flourishes that can improve the odds.

The surest path is echoing Mr. Trump’s voice. The user @fiiibuster, whose profile boasts that he has been retweeted twice by the president, has built a following of more than 38,000 accounts — and won the digital stamp of approval from a man with 66 million — through a steady offering of posts that resemble Mr. Trump’s own. Among the words in @fiiibuster’s retweeted messages: “security,” “prosperity,” “America first,” “Pathetic,” “bad reporter,” “shame!”

In other cases, Mr. Trump has gravitated toward those who share his taste in reading. A few weeks ago, he retweeted Cathy Buffaloe, 70, a retired librarian in Walton County, Ga., after she quoted a Wall Street Journal column criticizing Representative Adam Schiff, the Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.

When she told her husband what had happened, he asked if she had simply dreamed it. She took screenshots to show to friends and gained about 200 followers. “It isn’t often that ‘regular’ people have an opportunity to be heard concerning national issues,” Ms. Buffaloe said in an email.

J. T. Lewis, a 19-year-old Republican candidate for the Connecticut State Senate whose brother Jesse was killed in the Sandy Hook massacre in 2012, was retweeted last year after writing a flattering message to Mr. Trump. When he traveled to Washington months later to meet with the president as part of a school safety event, Mr. Lewis brought a printout of the tweet.

“He smirked and signed it,” he said. “It’s in my room somewhere.”

Mr. Lewis said he hoped the president’s imprimatur would show that Mr. Trump was not in league with the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who has spread bogus claims about the Sandy Hook shooting, including asserting that the victims’ families were actors and part of a plot to confiscate guns. (In 2015, Mr. Trump appeared on Mr. Jones’s “Infowars” program and praised him.)

But Mr. Lewis is skeptical that getting through to Mr. Trump owes to any elaborate strategy. “I don’t think things are planned out the way we think they are from the outside,” he said. “I think that was literally just: Guy in pajamas, ‘Oh, this is a nice tweet.’”

THE WRONG IVANKA

“The fingers aren’t as good as the brain,” the president once explained, discussing the typos he makes on Twitter.

And those fingers have at times conferred a spotlight on unsuspecting tweeters with low opinions of him.

In a tweet one night in January 2017, just before his inauguration, Mr. Trump shared a message calling his daughter Ivanka “a woman with real character and class” and tagging @ivanka.

That Twitter handle belongs to Ivanka Majic, 45, a technology researcher in Brighton, England, who shares a first name and little else with the president’s daughter. Ms. Majic woke up to media inquiries and a dilemma.

“There’s a decision to be made,” she said in an interview. “If you’re going to say something, what are you going to say?”

Ms. Majic recognized she would probably never be handed a megaphone like this again. “He was a bit unlucky, really, that it was my Twitter account,” she said.

She settled on this: “You’re a man with great responsibilities. May I suggest more care on Twitter and more time learning about #climatechange.”

Instantly, Ms. Majic became something of a local luminary as her progressive city strained to process Mr. Trump’s victory. Days later, at the London chapter of the global Women’s March, one attendee’s sign read, “@Ivanka, loving your work!”

In the years since, Ms. Majic has celebrated an annual “Trumpiversary” to mark the occasion. But one news clipping from the time still grates.

“There was one article that said, ‘Ivanka only has 2,700 followers,’” she remembered. “I was like, ‘That’s quite good for a normal person!’”

_______

Karen Yourish and Larry Buchanan contributed reporting. Kitty Bennett contributed research. Produced by Gray Beltran and Rumsey Taylor.

🍁🏈🍂🍻🍁🏈🍂🍻🍁🏈🍂🍻🍁🏈

#trumpism #trump administration #president donald trump #donald trump jr #trumptrain #donald trump #against trump #trump news #news today trump #world news today #republican politics #politics and government #us politics #politics #social media #trump tweets #worldpolitics #world news #republicans #republican party #impeach trump #impeachment inquiry now #impeachtrump #impeach4peace #impeachment #u.s. news #democratic party #democracy #democrats

[megamanx1994]

The Legend of Kuzon Chapter 1

(Kuzon Tao a.k.a Knuckle Joe is a vigillante fighting criminals in Republic City. However when a new crime boss invades and threatens to destroy everything he cares about, Kuzon teams up with the Avatar to put a stop to his evil plot with the help of his other bender friends. This is an alternate take on the Korra Turf Wars trilogy)

Chapter 1: Legends Rise (Disclaimer! I own nothing of Korra!) Air Water Earth Fire These are the elements of many benders of the world. Thanks to the efforts of the original Avatar, Aang and Fire Lord Zuko, Republic City was born. We've gone through troubled times over the years, but they were all avoided and we were all saved by the new avatar, Korra. Other heroes like Captain Falcon and The Peacekeepers did their part to help whenever they could. I believed what I was told, and I assumed that there could never be another unique bender like the avatar. But then something happened, that changed everything… Four people were running with Korra going after a blimp. The blimp was about to unleash some kind of gas that would take out all the benders in the area. The guy with the blonde hair was using fire bending to force bad guys out of the way. That's Kuzon Tao, the bravest guy I've ever known. One of the others formed a concrete shield around him and piled through a group of chi blockers. He's Kanji, and well…. He likes Earth. The one with the ponytail is Anana Hookfin, a spectacular waterbender. We call her "fish hooks." The one with the green hair is me. I'm Saria Forest. I’m an airbender, and well…. I'm not so brave. But that's ok because I have Kuzon and the gang, and they're my best friends! But if I'm gonna tell this story right, I'm gonna have to take you back to a while ago. A while Ago….. Late at night, a group of robbers were making their way out of a jewelry shop. "Selling these is gonna make me a mint," said the boss. "Hey boss," said one of the robbers, "How come we're the ones doing the heavy lifting while you're standing there?" "Cause I'm the one who started the heist idea, that makes me the leader," said the boss, "Now stop yapping." They started putting the stolen jewels in the truck. "Hey what's with all the noise?" Asked someone. It was Kuzon in his newly colored suit. "Some of us are trying to sleep," he said, "Couldn't you wait til tomorrow to do this heist you're trying to pull off." "Who the fuck is this guy?" Asked one of the robbers. "Ok, this is the part where you tell me your name, what your intentions are, etc. etc, and I stop you," said Kuzon. "Who we are is not your concern, whoever you are," said the boss, "And we can't let you tell anyone what we're doing." "Ok, I guess I'm gonna star," said Kuzon, "I'm Knuckle Joe!" He threw a fireball at one of the robbers. "And you've just stepped into my school of hard knocks," he finished. One of the robbers grabbed a gun and trapped Kuzon in some kind of force field. He managed to break out. "Wow cool toys," he said. More thugs showed up ready to fight him. "Alright," Kuzon said, "Let's do this." Two of them went after Kuzon and he did a jump and slammed his fist on the ground forcing both of them back. "C'mon don't be shy," Kuzon said, "There's plenty of me to go around!" They all came at him one by one. Kuzon used various fire bending techniques to take them out. One of the robbers started firing at him and Kuzon used the fire as a shield. "Nice try," he said. He then did one of his signature moves, the Vulcan jab and finished it with a rising break. His fist was on fire as he did the uppercut. Soon afterwards the robbers were rounded up and Lin's police force arrived on the scene. There was a note that said; "Found your jewel thieves. Courtesy from Knuckle Joe." "Who is this guy chief?" Asked one of the officers. "Whoever he is, he's a great help," Lin said cuffing one of them. "Awesome job," said Zoe, Kuzon's little sister talking to him through a communicator, "You've certainly been practicing your bending techniques. "Yep, I think I did pretty good out there," Kuzon said. "Wang would be proud," Zoe said. "He sure would," Kuzon said looking into the sky. "Although next time if you want to do the fire uppercut technique, hole onto the flame and then release it when you do the punch," Zoe said. "Oh, that explains why that move failed," Kuzon said, "But other than that, it was awesome!" He took off his mask. "I think I'm gonna call it a night," Kuzon said, "Gotta head to the garage early to rehearse for the battle of the bands," "Alright, good night Kuzon," Zoe said before signing off. "If anymore criminals wanna take over Republic city, then I'm ready for you too," Kuzon said doing a stance. He headed back to the garage and did some analysis on his combat moves. The next day he was asleep on the couch. "Kuzon you in there?" Asked someone. "Oh spirits I forgot!" Kuzon said, "Band practice!" He quickly changed into some clothes and came back out. "Kuzon?" I asked. "Hey Saria, I'm right here," he said. "Ok what happened to you?" Kanji asked. "Well I was taking on some crooks in the city all night," Kuzon said. The rest of us laughed. "C'mon Kuzon we all know you've been up here looking up music videos on guitar moves," Anana said. "Guilty as charged," Kuzon said. "Alright enough talk," Kanji said getting on the drums, "LET'S JAM!" He counted down and we begun playing.

We finished the song on a high note. "And the crowd goes wild, and many people scream Tone Benders!" Kanji said. "I know right, this song rocks!" Kuzon said, "Although while we played this my brain hatched an idea for another song." "Whoa dude, one idea at a time," Anana said laughing. "You're right," Kuzon said. He looked at his watch. "Well time to go deliver some stuff to Cappy Town," he said, "Let's call it a day." "You sound real good Kuzon," I said packing up my keyboard and guitar, "By the way. Who's this Korra person?" "What?" He asked. "I heard you talking in your sleep and heard this name 'Korra'," I said. Kuzon got up and said, "She's a childhood friend from years ago who lives in the south." "Well looks like she and the Avatar share the same name," Anana said. "I haven't seen her in years though," said Kuzon, "For all we know, she's probably forgotten about me." "I'm sure you'll see her again soon," I said, "Friendship is forever." "Thanks," Kuzon said, "Coming Kanji?" "You bet," Kanji, I gotta pick up my girlfriend anyway." Kuzon and Kanji were taking a bus to a neighboring city in the Earth Kingdom, Cappy Town. People were greeting him as he walked by. "Hey its my two favorite customers!" Said someone. It was Chef Kawasaki. "Hey chef," Kuzon and Kanji said in unison. "Two Kawasaki steaks on the house coming up!" He said passing them two steaks. "Thanks man," Kanji said. The two of them were walking to the King's castle. "So how was your date yesterday with Cidney?" Kuzon asked. "It was a blast," Kanji said, "Thanks for hooking me up with those tickets, Cidney loves those guys." "Don't mention it," Kuzon said. "I think its time you found someone too dude," said Kanji nudging his shoulder, "At this rate you'll be the only guy in our band aside from Anana who's single." "Well I…. You know that wasn't very funny," Kuzon said. A spark of lightning appeared to his left and then his right. "What the…." He said. "BOO!" Someone said scaring him. It was Kanji's girlfriend Cidney DeVille. She was gifted with the ability to thunderbend and she refers to herself as if she were more than one person. "Well, looks like our lightning actually can scare people," she said laughing. "I wasn't scared, I had…. Allergies to thunder," Kuzon said. "Yeah sure," said Cidney not believing him, "So what are you guys up to?" "Just delivering some goods to Uncle Dedede," Kuzon said. "The King?" Cidney asked. "Well he's not really my uncle," Kuzon said, "Just an uncle/father figure since…. You know." "Yeah," Kanji said, "But they're up in heaven watching you grow up to be a great man." "That can't bend," said Kuzon, "I'm still kinda jealous that my friends can bend an element. "Your sister can't bend an element," corrected Cidney. "True," said Kuzon. I was heading to the office where my Uncle Wenyan was speaking with the president. "….And so with the upcoming campaign coming up we've got to make sure you're represented as a hero," he continued. I had a poster hoping that he would be able to make it. "Mr. Wenyan, you're niece is here," said someone. "Tell her I don't have time to talk right now," he said. "Can't you make some time?" I asked. "Saria I'm in the middle of an important conversation," Uncle Wenyan said. "More important than me?" I asked. "Not exactly, but you know what I mean," he said. "Uncle, my band and I are participating in the Battle of the Bands competition and we were hoping you could come," I said. "Again with this music nonsense?" Uncle Wenyan asked, "Why can't you realize that music is a waste of time?" "That's not the point," I said, "There are a lot of people that think I can make a career out of music." "Well those people are wrong," Uncle Wenyan said, "These past few events have been occurring and bringing our city into ruin because of the Avatar, and President Raiko is doing all he can to keep us all in order." "But…" I said. "There are people with bigger careers that will make what you can do absolete," he said, "In this reality, playing music is a JOKE!" I was hurt by those words. "You're never gonna come to my gigs are you?" I asked. "No," he said. He continued his conversation with the president. But I didn't care as I was excited to tell my bandmates about it. Kuzon made his way to the king's throne. "Uncle Dedede?" He asked. The king approached him. "Kuzon, why I haven't seen you since…. I can't say it enough, I'm so sorry about your brother," he said. "He use to bring me up here to see Earthbenders at work," Kuzon said, "About earlier…." "Water under the bridge," said King Dedede, "Is there anything you need?" "No just stopping by while I did my errands," Kuzon said. "Well anytime you need someone to talk to I'm right here," said King Dedede as he smiled. Back at Republic City someone was sharpening their weapons. One of his men approached the room. "I expect some good news," he said. "Lord Tokuga, We managed to find the locations of the materials we need for your plan," said the henchmen. "Excellent," Tokuga said facing him, "We will commence soon enough."

#kuzon #kuzon tao #The Legend of Kuzon #the legend of korra #korra x kuzon #saria legend of zelda #sairia #smash bros #kirby nintendo #FFEU Phase 3 #fan fiction extended universe #legend of korra #korrazon #asami sato #opal #bopal #masami #mako x asami #king dedede

[kenzieam]

The Reaper and the Vixen - Chapter One (Eric X Fox)

Rating: M

Genre: Drama, Eventual Angst

Thanks everyone for the re-blogs and support!!! IT IS SO AWESOME!!!

@emmysrandomthoughts @beautifulramblingbrains @iammarylastar @tigpooh67 @bookwarm85  @badassbaker @captstefanbrandt  @treeleaf  @beltz2016  @girlwith100names @gaia25 @readsalot73   @slayer0507 @stone-met @lostinthebeans @lauraaan182 @girlslovestorys  @lacy-love @fuckthatfeeling  @vitaevandal  @micolegg  @jaihardy  @bookgirlthings @queenara4   @bluelassbird @mom2reesie  @letmagichappen @shaunarcanine @equalstrashflavoredtrash @son-of-anubis @elaacreditava @lilu46 @tonyt1995 @jojogoo65 @littlesouthernrebel  @kirstenisntkirsty @frecklefaceb @kimskew @potterheadoncer @beltzboys2015-blog                       @sterek-foreverandever @pansexualpancakeslife @clublulu333

******** IF YOU WANT TO BE ADDED OR DELETED FROM THIS LIST, MESSAGE ME********

****************************************************************************************************

A huge thank you to my right hand and Jai-sister @iammarylastar ! Quelle equipe!

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A new AU story featuring Biker Eric and Fox, I hope you enjoy!

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Eric cursed loudly as the wrench in his hand slipped and he barked his knuckle hard enough to draw blood.

"Motherfucker!"

He pointedly ignored the snickering coming from behind the Fatboy a few feet away and sucked irritably at the offended knuckle. Grabbing the dropped wrench Eric contemplated throwing it at the happy bastard still laughing at him when he heard his name called.

"Hey, Eric?"

He turned to see a petite blond walking towards them and couldn't stop an answering grin. Tris stopped and leaned against the other bike, smiling down at the happy bastard, her husband Four, when he looked up at her from where he was sitting beside it.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"Your dickhead old man keeps laughing at me," Eric grumbled.

Tris rolled her eyes at Four. "Behave Tobias."

Now it was Four's turn to grumble, drawing an smug grin from Eric.

"What do you need?" Eric asked, turning back to his own bike and it’s knuckle-busting engine.

"My cousin's coming down for a few weeks, I was hoping to bring her over."

"Yeah, no problem. She belong to anyone?" There were certain rules to follow when another club's old lady came by, even for a family visit.

"No, she's never really even been around bikes, certainly not any MCs." At Eric's incredulous stare Tris laughed.

"How the hell is she even related to you?"

"You knew my dad had a brother."

"Yeah, Hound had a twin. Identical, right?"

"Yeah. Uncle Tommy took off to university just as daddy started prospecting, became a structural engineer. He's worked all over the world and took his wife and kids with him. Well, now my cousin’s graduated herself and moved to Seattle. She's an architect but isn’t really feeling it in the city."

Eric whistled. "Architect, huh?"

"She did tattooing and body mod on the side for extra scratch during university, and I know Beasley is thinking about retiring; maybe she'll buy the parlour and move down here. She said all she needs for her job is Wifi, so she doesn't need to stay in Seattle."

Eric pondered this quietly. He'd only been the President of The Hessians for a few months, and was still settling into the role. Four was his vice-president and best friend, and Tris' was Four's old lady; even though members of motorcycle clubs were like family, and called each other brother, Eric was especially close to Four and Tris, if anything went awry with her cousin, he'd feel responsible.

"What's her name?"

"Fox. My aunt is kind of a hippy."

Eric nodded. "I'll spread the word, she'll be under my protection when she's here, Four's too. No one will hassle her."

Tris grinned, "she can handle herself, don't worry." Four mumbled something and Tris glanced down at him and nodded.

"I'm sure she'll want some privacy when she's here, would she be able to rent that last unit for a month or so?"

The Hessians owned and ran a number of local businesses for revenue, and one was an apartment complex on the edge of town.

"Pretty sure, just double check with Shaggy that he doesn't have anyone else lined up first."

Tris nodded, pushing gently off the bike she was leaning on and stepped over to Eric. Reaching down she pressed a quick kiss to the top of his head. "Thanks, Eric."

"No problem Cricket, when she getting in?"

"I'll call her and tell her everything's a go. She's driving down, so sometime in the next few days."

Eric chewed his lip and nodded. They were in Northern California, so it wouldn't take long for Fox to drive once she started out.

After Tris left Four poked his head out from behind his bike, his deep-set brown eyes twinkling with merriment. “You’ll have to behave yourself, Reaper.”

"What?" Eric replied, distracted; this motherfucking bolt just wouldn't let go.

"Good genes man. Tris is smokin’ and so’s her cousin. Fox.... is a fox.”

“Uh-huh.”

“You’re not even listening, okay; but just wait until you see her. And you need to settle down, you’re President now, need an old lady.”

Eric snorted, there was no law that the President needed to be committed to one woman, and he’d never felt the impulse or desire to attach himself to any girl in particular. He had a few preferred house mouses, but none he felt strongly enough about to put his patch on. Four had been on his back to settle down ever since he’d married Tris and Eric didn’t even bother to pay attention anymore. A wrench thumped against his shoulder and Eric snapped his head to glare at Four, knowing instantly that he was responsible. A maniacal grin was his only answer and Eric rolled his eyes with a grunt, turning back to his bike.

***************************************************************************************************************************************************** The clubhouse was noisy, but that was nothing new. Eric was seated at a wooden booth, going over his agenda for tomorrow’s Church. Brothers and their old ladies drifted in and out constantly, and club bunnies moved from lap to lap; the roar and growl of Harley’s outside was a constant, soothing white noise. Doc and Denver were playing some loud car racing game on the Xbox and had attracted a few enthusiastic spectators, while Panhead, Dropkick, Skrill and Busted were around one of the massive flat screens, watching what looked like ’Bridge Over the River Kwai’. Sky was busy behind the bar, popping tops and pouring doubles almost without pause and Eric signalled her for another beer when she had a spare second.

It had been a few days since Tris had spoken to Eric about her cousin, and Eric would have completely forgotten that she was coming if not for Four’s constant yapping. He reminded Eric right now of a Chihuahua darting around and nipping at ankles. His VP had it in his pointed head that Eric and Fox were perfect for each other, but Eric wasn’t convinced. She’d never been around a Motorcycle Club before, and the lifestyle definitely wasn’t for everybody. Fox had travelled the world almost from birth, and according to Tris she spoke like six languages or something; Eric and his modest aspirations weren’t going to impress her any, and to be honest, she sounded a little high maintenance to him anyway. He’d refused to look at any pictures Four tried to show him and rejected any attempts to describe her appearance to him, half to piss Four off and half because he didn’t want to get his hopes up, Four had said that Fox was a fox, but his type was petite blondes and Eric’s jeans didn’t tighten for that, more than likely Fox was going to be a doll-like waif like Tris. In other words, not Eric’s flavour.  

Eric’s thoughts had almost completely returned to the agenda in front of him when he heard the clubhouse door open and Four call his name. There was a singsong quality to the peckerwood’s voice and that could only mean that Tris’ cousin was finally here. Better to get this over with, introduce himself and welcome her politely then go back to his business before Four could orchestrate any matchmaking shit.

Dropping his pen Eric pushed off the table to stand, bending backwards for a moment to the chorus of his spine popping satisfactorily; shit, he needed to drop this paperwork and go for a long ride to loosen up. Taking a deep breath he turned and froze. Standing beside Tris, looking around the clubhouse with curious eyes was an angel, and Eric felt like he’d suddenly been kicked in the guts.

Eric was so immediately taken with Fox that he didn’t even react to Four’s smug ‘I told you so’ expression. His heart hammered painfully in his chest and he went instantly, almost painfully hard in his jeans. Thank god there was enough going on around the clubhouse that probably no one would look down and notice his raging hard-on. Eric was mesmerized by Fox, the attraction only growing as she and Tris moved closer; it seemed others had noticed the stunning visitor as well and Eric felt a sudden violent possessiveness, a flare of jealousy that others were eyeing Fox up like starving men at a banquet. He wanted to whirl towards his brothers and snarl like a wolf, staking his claim.

Her hair was a vibrant auburn, cascading in a long, wavy mane down her back and her cat-like eyes reminded him of kaleidoscopes, a captivating mix of brown and amber, framed by lush lashes. His fingers itched to cup her heart-shaped face, to reach out and trace along her curves. Dressed in a simple pair of skinny jeans and tank top, Eric could see that she was absolutely his type, curvy and tall; a modern Marilyn Monroe, generous ass and breasts to fill his hands and he felt a visceral shiver down his spine. Jesus Christ. Four bobbed into his line of sight behind them, grinning like the cat that got the canary.

What really got Eric though, what really hooked him was the flash of fire in her gaze. He saw intelligence and spirit in her mysterious eyes, the beginnings of an excited grin on her luscious lips as she took in all the activity around her. Her eyes lingered especially long on the bookshelves in the reading corner; a space admittedly used more for fooling around on the armchairs than actual reading. Her eyes met Eric’s finally and widened, surprise flickering through them. She glanced at Tris and said something, making Tris grin in return, nodding her head. Eric wondered briefly if Fox had been hearing the same about him from Tris, the same matchmaking rubbish he’d been getting from Four.  

His palms were sweating and Eric couldn’t remember ever feeling this nervous around a girl before, even when he’d been a boasting, posturing man-child trying to charm his way into his first pair of jeans he’d never been this affected; what the fuck?

Tris quirked her mouth as she watched him, knowing him well enough to see these emotions on his face, while to those that didn’t know Eric he looked expressionless and almost impassive, Eric knew by the flicker in Tris’ eyes that she could see exactly how he was currently being affected by her cousin. Her doofus husband, currently appearing and reappearing behind her and Fox like a Whack-A-Mole could see it too. Eric needed to get himself under control before any of his brothers could look too closely at him either. He drew in a deep breath as the women reached him.

“Eric, this is my cousin, Fox. Fox, this is our friend and the club president, Eric Coulter.” Amusement sparkled in her eyes and she bit her bottom lip in anticipation.

Fox glanced at her cousin then looked back at Eric. She was even more breathtaking up close, her eyes like gemstones, smouldering with trapped fire. Eric saw a tiny nose stud winking in her right nostril, and a small labret was just visible beneath her full bottom lip; he’d always had a thing for piercings.

Realizing he’d yet to say anything, that he probably looked like installation art standing here Eric jolted slightly, clearing his throat and extended his hand. “Uh, hi.” Smooth, Reaper, smooth.

Fox’s hand was warm and strong, her touch igniting a thrill of heat in Eric’s muscles; she bit her bottom lip somewhat nervously and Eric had to fight the sudden impulse to bite it for her.

“Hello. Thank you for letting me come by.”

“No problem.”

Fox glanced around; the boys had mostly gone back to their activities but the air was charged with male energy; Eric definitely wasn’t the only one in the clubhouse who’d noticed Fox and Eric could see her slight trepidation.

“You’re safe,” he hurried to calm her. “You’re under mine and Four’s protection when you’re here, no one will bother you.”

“Four?”

“Me, dahling,” Four chirped, moving to Tris’ side.

Fox looked back to Eric and asked, “why do you call him Four?”

“It’s this handsome idiot’s road name,” Tris explained, jerking a thumb at her husband. “Here in the club we usually go by our road names. I’m Cricket, Tobias is Four and Eric is Reaper.”

“Why Four though?”

Eric couldn’t stop a smirk. “Because Toby here thought he was so tough when we were prospecting, he picked a fight with Jellyroll, one of our more uh..... rotund brothers and got four teeth knocked out for his trouble.”

Fox looked startled, turning back towards Four with a raised eyebrow. Tris, although she knew the story already, grinned and matched her, rounded on him too, both women eyeballing Four now.

Four had the grace to blush. “Yeah,” his hand came up and rubbed his jaw reflectively. “Thank Christ ol’ Doc Stevin’s was still around then, grabbed my chin and stabbed all four back up into my gums, told me down a glass of whiskey and quit picking fights like a jackass. Saved all four of them.” He flashed a dazzling grin at the women, earning an dual eye roll.

Eric cleared his throat, reluctantly drawing his eyes away from Fox’s face. “So, you get settled in the apartment yet?”

Fox shook her head. “No, Tris and uh... Four brought me straight here.”

“Why don’t you take Fox over and show her the apartment?” Four grinned.

A sudden flash of heat shot through Eric, he’d like nothing better right now, but the faint flicker of fear in Fox’s eyes gave him pause, hurt him far worse than it should have. She was afraid? What... of him?

Tris elbowed Four irritably and wrapped her arm around Fox’s waist. “I’ll take you over, honey. Four the asshat can stay here and calm the hell down.” She glared daggers at her husband and he raised his hands in surrender.

“Sorry Foxy,” he grinned, trying to charm his way back in. “Didn’t mean to scare you. Tris’ll take you over, then you’re invited over for supper at our place; I’m thinking barbeque.” His dancing brown eyes swiveled to Eric. “You’re invited too.”

Another pang shot through Eric. “Only if that’s okay with Fox.”

Fear flickered in her eyes again, but Eric was comforted to see relief as well. “Sure uh, I mean, if you want to.... you probably have something planned here,” her eyes flickered over the circling club bunnies, one was currently being welcomed to sit on Panhead’s lap and Eric felt a jerk of near panic, she didn’t think that was all he did, right? She didn’t think he just sat around letting loose women grind on him? In truth, he’d had his fair share of the bunnies but it had never meant anything before, to him or the bunnies; he was a brother and they made the rounds, that was just how MCs worked.

The Hessians weren’t a club that abused or exploited their women though, not like some clubs out there, the bunnies were free to mingle and draw their own lines and any brother that crossed that line was dealt with harshly; respect for women and children was paramount here, many of the brothers had old ladies and kids and in many ways, the clubhouse itself was like Vegas, what happened there never went out the doors. Inside it was only consenting adults and no-strings-attached fun. A sudden bolt of realization hit Eric, he would cheerfully never touch another bunny again, or even look their way if Fox stayed, if she stopped glancing at him with fear in her eyes and looked at him with attraction instead. The insight made something akin to butterflies dance in his stomach.

He shook his head, managed an easy grin, belying the anxiety glowing in his chest. “Nothing here, I’d love to.”

***************************************************************************************************************************************************** Eric rolled over the next morning with a groan.

Supper last night had been exquisite torture. One thing Four could do extremely well was barbeque, so the food was awesome but Eric had been a bundle of nerves all night. Fox was clearly fighting some sort of battle about him, but Eric had no idea if it was attraction as strong as his or not. She’d been reserved and hesitant all evening, answering his questions easily enough but not relaxing fully either.

Eric had stayed a gentleman all night, clamping down hard on his desires, his want, shit, his need to feel if Fox’s skin was as soft as it looked, if her lips were as luscious tasting as they appeared. His body ached to pull her against him, feel her pressed to him and bury his head in her throat, nip along her pulse point and see if that freed the animal he sensed lurked beneath. He’d never wanted someone so badly before and it had taken all his strength not to make a move last night, to try and nudge Fox into something more, but he’d held off, not wanting to screw this up before it had a chance to grow.

It had taken an endless cold shower when he’d gotten home to calm his throbbing cock, his thoughts clouded with Fox writhing beneath him, riding him rough as he’d stroked himself to the most powerful orgasm he’d ever had, his seed spilling over his hand and onto the shower floor in strong pulses. It hadn’t worked, hadn’t bled off his want, if anything, Eric wanted Fox even more now, just knowing she’d be even hotter in bed than his fantasies.

He was in trouble.

***************************************************************************************************************************************************** The next few weeks were like death of a thousand cuts. Fox didn’t come by the clubhouse very often, and only with Tris in tow. She spent a lot of time down at Beasley’s tattoo parlour, doing the occasional body mod and tattoo. It sounded like she was seriously considering buying the business and Eric’s heart hammered with the thought that she might be moving down here permanently. But she stayed distant with him, eyeing him quietly with that same glimmer of fear and Eric made himself stay away from her. Four and Tris were equally puzzled, both by Fox’s apparent fear and Eric’s restraint.

“Why is she afraid of me?” Eric finally asked one afternoon down at the clubhouse. He’d pulled an Adirondack chair into the shade of one of the larger trees and was trying to relax, sipping a beer and letting the cheerful noise of the club surround him. Many of the families were over today, and children squealed and laughed with delight as they raced around, as their leather-clad fathers and uncles chased them teasingly, men with tattooed knuckles and knives in their boots, who turned to mush around children, who were members of the local Boys and Girls club, guiding the newest generation when they had no one else to look up to. First Hammer and now Eric had worked hard to preserve the club’s reputation in the town. If you were family, you were safe; if you tried to harm said family, you got hurt. A spontaneous family picnic had sprung up today and it looked like Tris and a few other old ladies were gathering a lunch together.

Four shrugged from his own chair, a bottle of beer held loosely in his hand; he and Tris’ own four-year old son Evan was racing around with his buddies, stopping by sporadically to dive bomb either his father or uncle Eric before dashing off again with a squeal.

“I don’t know. Tris has asked her outright, and she won’t say why; just gets red-faced and changes the subject.”

“Someone treat her wrong?” Eric’s blood boiled at the very thought.

Another shrug. “I don’t know, it was hard to keep up with that family, they were forever moving from country to country, from new project to new project, I mean her dad’s like one of the top engineers in the world and always getting called to consult on or build something, and then Fox was so busy once she hit university Tris barely heard from her at all. How the hell they’ve managed to stay so close is a goddamn woman’s mystery to me.” He stared contemplatively at his beer for a beat. “You got it bad for her?” It wasn’t really a question.

Eric exhaled hard. “Yeah, and it’s tearing me the fuck apart. It’s like she’s afraid I’m going to go all caveman on her and start knocking her around. I’ve tried to talk to her, but I don’t want to push too much and make it worse.... maybe it’s just not meant to be.”

Four sighed, “I’m sorry man, I got your hopes up with her. I really thought you’d hit it off; I mean, she’s always been so fun and carefree until now.... come to think about though, I’ve never really heard of her with anyone, maybe she is gun-shy because of something.” He picked idly at his beer label. “If Tris can’t even get it out of her though, I don’t think you ever will.”

Eric nodded heavily, swallowing a mouthful of beer. Nothing would soothe the current ache in his heart and he wondered, not for the first time, why he cared so goddamn much. He’d never lack for bed-mates, not being president and possessing a body that the bunnies couldn’t seem to stop drooling over, but he didn’t want that anymore. He wanted Fox and the sudden clarification of his desire stole his breath. It was like his life had a line of demarcation now, Before Fox and After Fox.

Four watched him, reading Eric’s thoughts clearly and looked back down at his hands.

“Uncle Eric!” Evan shrieked, leaping in the air towards his hulking uncle. Although not blood related, Evan had always called Eric uncle; and with ease born of practise, Eric stood up rapidly and caught the little munchkin mid-leap, spinning them in a circle and roaring like a lion, making the boy squirm in his grip and howl with laughter. Coming to a stop Eric gently crushed Evan to his chest, forever mindful of his strength, and ruffled the boy’s hair.

“Uncle, stop!” Evan yelled, small grubby hands clawing at Eric’s.

“Hey,” Eric chuckled. “You attacked me, remember.” He set the struggling boy down and grinned, resting his fists on his hips.

The boy mirrored him, scowling. “No!”

“No what?” Eric laughed, seeing Four chuckling behind his pint-sized son.

“No messin’ hairs!”

“No messin’ hairs?”

“No!”

“Okay.”

Jerking his chin up Evan nodded. “Okay.”

Eric held his serious expression for as long as he could, about 1.4 seconds, then dropped into a crouch and started laughing, pulling Evan into his arms again. Evan never could resist Eric’s laugh and he started giggling too. Eric stood again, resting Evan on his hip and grinned at him.

“You having fun?”

“Yeah! Stormy and Jason and Mackenzie and I are playing!”

Eric set him down again gently and gave him a soft push towards the other children. “Well, go play then!”

With a whoop Evan took off and Eric collapsed back in the chair with a groan.

“You’re good with him.” Four remarked. “You always have been.”

“You’re surprised?”

Four shook his head. “Not at all, I just hope you get some of your own soon, they’ll be lucky kids.”

Rarely was Four this serious or introspective and it struck Eric right in the feels. To cover up his brother’s sudden kindness he nodded to him and raised his beer, hoping Four would stop with this sudden meditation before he made him fuckin’ cry.

#eric coulter #jai courtney #divergent au #eric coulter fanfiction #eric divergent fanfiction #eric and fox #fanfiction

[phgq]

PRRD finally names lawmakers allegedly getting kickbacks

#PHnews: PRRD finally names lawmakers allegedly getting kickbacks

MANILA – After initially refusing to name lawmakers who allegedly demanded kickbacks from project contractors, President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Monday night finally bared their names.

Duterte said he decided to disclose their names after agreeing with Anakalusugan Party-list Rep. Mike Defensor that it was important to name them so as not to tarnish the image of the entire chamber.

“Kailangan ko sabihin sa mga tao (I need to announce this to the people) or else I’d look stupid. Tama 'yung sinabi ni I think it was Mike Defensor. E bakit pinag-submit niya tapos ayaw niya basahin ngayon? (What Mike Defensor said is right. ‘Why would he submit it to the Ombudsman and refuse to disclose their names?’) So which is also correct,” he said in a taped speech.

Duterte said access to information applies to all government agencies, adding that it was his “sworn duty” to bare the names of dishonest politicians.

“Whether ako ang magbasa o hindi, lalabas talaga ‘to (Whether I read it out loud or not, it will still come out) because they have right to have access to information, miski sinong tao (anyone),” he said.

Not gospel truth

Duterte explained to the public that reading out their names is “not a condemnation nor indictment” that they are guilty of something.

He said they are still entitled to the presumption of innocence.

“Do not take it as a gospel truth na totoo talaga ‘to. Lumabas lang ito sa investigation ng [Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission] (that it is real. This just came out in the investigation of the PACC),” he said.

According to the President, he did not want to have bad blood with any lawmaker whose name he would read out.

He said he was only being obedient to the “call of the people” who have reported such corrupt dealings.

“I do not want a quarrel with you. We are independent from each other. This is not really my work. This is the work of people who may be obeyed my guarantee that they will be protected,” he said.

Duterte earlier offered a cash prize worth PHP50,000 to PHP100,000 to anyone who could report dishonest government officials and their corruption activities.

He also pointed out that he has been naming officials and workers linked to corrupt activities in previous speeches.

Since the start of his term in 2016, Duterte has been releasing a so-called "narco-list" containing the names of incumbent and former officials, lawmakers, judges, and uniformed personnel suspected of being involved in the illegal drug trade.

He said if anyone could prove that he accepted even one peso as a bribe, he was willing to step down from his post.

If his eldest son Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte is also on the list, he said he would also not hesitate to read his name out loud and resign.

“Pag nandiyan 'yung pangalan niya (If his name is on the list), I will read it,” he said. “No sacred cows.”

Reading from the PACC list, Duterte named at least nine lawmakers who received kickbacks from project contractors: Occidental Mindoro Rep. Josephine Ramirez-Sato; former Ifugao Rep. Teodoro "Teddy" Baguilat; Quezon City 5th District Rep. Alfred Vargas; Misamis Occidental Rep. Henry Oaminal; Isabela Rep. Alyssa Sheena Tan; Northern Samar 1st District Rep. Paul Daza; 4th District of Quezon Rep. Angelina "Helen" Tan; ACT-CIS Party-list Rep. Eric Go Yap; and Bataan 1st District Rep. Geraldine Roman.

Reshuffle

Meanwhile, Duterte also asked Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar to provide him with a list of district engineers, noting that he wanted to reorganize their assignments.

“I would like to ask Secretary Villar to give me a list of district engineers and the districts they are assigned all over the country. I will reorganize their assignments,” he said.

Last November, Duterte bared that he received a list of lawmakers allegedly involved in corruption in projects in the DPWH.

He said the list was given to him by PACC Commissioner Greco Belgica.

He, however, declined to name them, saying he had no jurisdiction over members of a co-equal branch of government.

Instead of naming them, he said he would refer to the Office of the Ombudsman information on the alleged corrupt lawmakers. (PNA)

***

References:

* Philippine News Agency. "PRRD finally names lawmakers allegedly getting kickbacks." Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1125866 (accessed December 29, 2020 at 04:43PM UTC+14).

* Philippine News Agency. "PRRD finally names lawmakers allegedly getting kickbacks." Archive Today. https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1125866 (archived).

#Philippines #News #Filipino #Pinoy #Tourism #Politics #Culture #Editorial #Environment #Society #History

[theliterateape]

Gratitude in an Ungrateful Year

by Don Hall

NEWSFLASH: This year has been rough.

Some look at Thanksgiving as an opportunity to overeat in spectacular fashion with loved ones. Others see the holiday as a colonizer’s attempt to paint the white Pilgrims as wholly benign and continue the drumbeat of imperialism. A few, like atheists on Easter, just see it as another day in the string of days until their demise.

In Chicago, for years, I’d have an actor’s Orphan Thanksgiving, inviting twenty or so thespians who couldn’t go home to visit family. I’d make a huge spread and we’d eat and drink and watch holiday specials conceived of by advertising executives in the sixties.

Today, I’m not as into the piles of starchy goodness and vegetables covered in sauce and sodium as I am drawn to the title of the day: Thanks Giving.

I spend most mornings, in between the first and second cup of coffee, pondering what I am grateful for in my daily grind and so it is on this day as well.

On Thanksgiving 2020, I am thankful that:

Donald Trump is finished as the President. Sure, he’s spinning out his final days in the exact chaotic neutral he has since inaugurated but the days are numbered (as in, there is an exact number of days before he packs his shit in his Chevelle and heads to Florida) and I am quite thankful for it.

Nevada weather. To be able to walk out of my apartment in late November to clear, sunny skies and not have to scrape the snow off of my car is a blessing, man.

I somehow managed to become employed — without any casino experience at all — by a company that kept paying me during the three-month COVID shutdown. I understand how stressful it has been for so many and I’m incredibly grateful for both fate and successful risks that put me in an enviable spot.

David Himmel and LiterateApe.com. Keeps me creative, gives me a podcast (which is just two friends yapping about random stuff), and manages to give me an outlet so I can completely eliminate social media from my daily grind.

My family has been virus free during this horror.

Both my mom and I have Facetime. Every week.

I’m married to an extraordinary soul who is both generous and exacting in equal measure.

We both were featured in a book about Las Vegas by Las Vegas writers which means we, on some metric, have become citizens of Sin City.

Good coffee, strong tobacco, and bracing rye whiskey.

Little packets of honey.

Comfortable shoes.

Days off with Dana.

Hunker down, gang. Wear your mask when you go out. It’s dark out there. Humans fear not so much the absence of light but what lies in wait in those shadows. The thing is that which dwells in the dark was always there in sight. It’s the fear, the anxiety, the frustration that changes the mundane into the arcane.

Practice gratitude because every day you feel a little hurt means you’re still breathing and can still enjoy a solid Hazy IPA and some Korean BBQ. Sack up and prepare for when the light peeks over the horizon because it will get better. It always gets better.

#thanksgiving 2020

[anthonybialy]

Hollow Gold

There may not be comfort in knowing Donald Trump sucked, but at least the crash hurts less if you braced for it.  His classy blundering is not framed in the liberal sense of calling him a budding war criminal who should be impeached for being mean.  Instead, he should be loathed precisely because he acts like his nastiest critics.  It's hard to appreciate irony while composing the Facebook post that'll finally get the man they call Little Donny arrested.  Hating both sides has at least made life simpler.

A showman who mooches off government is a natural Democrat, which is why the incumbent spent far more time in the Party of Mondale.  Switching sides was the savviest move he's ever made, although it doesn't precisely indicate strongly-held values. As for the liberals who still get much of what they want, his parody of a heartless capitalist will fuel their delusions more than Watergate and the Tet Offensive combined.

Like he thought this term would be, familiarity with the golden president's malleable nature wasn't hard.  Anyone capable of reading text that's longer than a tweet has known he was a shady character who sought the spotlight in a way that makes the Kardashians seem modest.

The exhausting show began long before he practiced for the Oval Office by dismissing minor celebrities from a chintzy boardroom set.  It remains surprising and deflating that there are voters who knew him as the Apprentice guy.  America still comes to terms with how many citizens saw him scold the American Chopper guy and thought “There's a president.”

Our executive's long history of mouthing off shouldn't have been a revelation.  Trump exhausted me before I was in high school, which explains why I'm so sunshiny now.  To start, I remember a 20/20 interview in the late '80s featuring a brash New York City real estate developer who had bigger gold-plated dreams.  I was a weird kid. Nonetheless, the profile of his dealings made young me curious about the personality type.  Was this brashness the way to go?  I quickly realized the answer was no.  Let your accomplishments speak for themselves.  I almost wonder if a loudmouth is compensating.

Abraham Lincoln's skill as a writer is even more pronounced compared to the latest Republican president.  Following the news show's interview, I tried to read The Art of the Deal and don't ask for your sympathy.  The details of his amazing acquisitions were enthralling to some, I'm sure.  There's something I share in common with him: I didn’t finish.  Offer a prize of of an unused Trump board game for anyone who has if they can prove it with a book report.  Bless anyone who's tried to sludge through a dull tour of his remarkable ego for investigative purposes.  Those people don't complain about waterboarding.  

Looking supersedes bragging.  Voters could've chosen more wisely if only they spent three seconds investigating Trump's bankrupt claims about Atlantic City, which you may not recognize as the glitzy rival of Las Vegas for the cosmopolitan gambler's dollars.  That Taj Mahal sure sounded fancy.  Today, you can only monitor the peeling paint from the exterior of a place as deserted as Chelsea's Clinton Foundation office. At least, it's now officially so.  As New Yorkers, we do appreciate that he didn't make the closest casino town too expensive so we can blow some cash nearby.  But some expensive hotel rooms are worth it.

What other random example tells the story perfectly?  Trump had the chance to give Americans more football, and he ruined it.  You can trust him if you'd like.  Pushing for the USFL to take on that more established pro football league was appreciated by Coke executives for making their formula change seem wise.  Sure, boasting while flubbing is totally not exactly what's happened in his career and term since.  If he didn't want us to keep citing obvious examples, he shouldn't have created them.

Ever take a joke too far?  Teasing about running was how Trump measured the years passing.  He was off-putting on a more local and superficial level until fantasizing about being Earth's most powerful man kicked in. He was never really into it, including when he won.  As with most of his curious projects, the announcement was supposed to be the end of it.  He got his attention and wanted to move on to the next vanity project.  But this isn't marriage we're talking about.

The spontaneous presidency may cause predictable reactions.  In exchange for coping, I'm remaining smug about being one of the Trump hipsters. We knew he was a conman before it was cool.  His boastful shtick was exhausting three decades ago.  Anyone learning so now can apologize by listening next time.  He's only been yapping about how he's Rich Jesus for as long as he's been known.

[preciousmetals0]

Economy Grapples; Targeting Apples; New Great Stuff Pick!

Economy Grapples; Targeting Apples; New Great Stuff Pick!:

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

When are you gonna come down? When are you going to land?

Filings for initial jobless claims jumped by 4.4 million last week, the U.S. Department of Labor reported today … and the market rallied.

No, this isn’t déjà vu. This isn’t a glitch in the Matrix … no matter how much we wish it was.

It gets worse. During the past five weeks, the U.S. economy saw 26.4 million people file for unemployment benefits. In other words, we’ve lost all the jobs created since the Great Recession of 2008 … and the market rallied.

According to Paul Ashworth, chief U.S. economist at Capital Economics, the latest jobless claims data could translate to an unemployment rate of 23% when the Department of Labor releases its official jobs data next week.

The previous peak for U.S. unemployment was 24.9% during the Great Depression.

So, with that horrendous backdrop, why is Wall Street in rally mode today?

One word: Oil.

For the second day in a row, the U.S. June oil futures contract soared, climbing more than 25% to trade firmly above $17 per barrel. International oil prices topped $20 per barrel.

Traders are betting on U.S. oil production cuts and rising tensions in the Middle East. President Trump provided the latter with yesterday’s threat to “destroy” Iranian gunboats in the Persian Gulf. As for U.S. production cuts … well, with U.S. shale oil companies on the verge of bankruptcy, this one’s a no-brainer.

The Takeaway: 

On days like today, I feel like I should have stayed on the farm. I should have listened to my old man.

Practically every economic indicator points toward the worst U.S. economy since the Great Depression, and yet, Wall Street rallied. It’s bizarro world.

The problem here is that we are investors. We rely on accurate data to make decisions. Right now, that data says to duck and cover.

But, if you completely duck and cover, you miss out on potential gains in this irrational market at best. And, at worst, you lose money by betting against the market.

Here at Great Stuff, we’re convinced that the market has not seen the bottom. But you can be right and still lose money. Remember, markets can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent.

So, while you hold most of your capital in safe havens like gold, currencies and bonds, it might be worthwhile to throw a bit of cash toward the market’s insanity.

(And I realize that by tilting a little bullish, I may have just called a top to the recent rally. Ha!)

But to do this, you need to do it safely. One of Great Stuff’s major themes this year has been finding your guide.

I cannot stress this enough: The market is far from normal right now.

Going out on your own is dangerous.

You need someone to point you in the right direction, especially when looking for positive returns in the current market madness.

That’s why it pays to listen to Banyan Hill experts like Jeff Yastine — those investors and researchers who have been there, done that when it comes to bizarre, out-of-touch markets.

When sifting through Wall Street’s noise, Jeff relies on a simple formula that lets him see through the financial smoke and mirrors to predict which stocks have the true potential to soar.

Not to mention, this formula helped Jeff show his readers’ cumulative gains of 1,091% in the past five years alone. And that’s the kind of guide you want to stick with through this topsy-turvy tumult.

You know you want to learn more about this formula, so what are you waiting for? Click here now.

Good: Stay on Target

Sometimes, your best just isn’t good enough. That’s quickly becoming a common theme for corporations this year, especially in retail.

This morning, Target Inc. (NYSE: TGT) reported that month-to-date comparable sales rose 5% in April. What’s more, quarter-to-date same-store sales are up 7%, while online sales skyrocketed 275% year over year.

Considering that U.S. retail sales plunged 8.7% in March, Target really hit the mark.

But Wall Street just wasn’t satisfied. Analysts pointed out that, while sales for essential goods are up by double digits, Target’s sales for high-margin goods, such as apparel and accessories, are down 40% for the quarter.

Furthermore, the brokerage bunch expects 8.9% same-store sales growth from Target — well above the company’s projected 7% growth.

In short, Target is performing rather well when you consider the U.S. economy’s pandemic lockdown. It’s just not enough to appease overzealous Wall Street analysts.

Better: Apple Gets an ARM Up

Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) kicked Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC) to the curb. According to a Bloomberg report, the long-anticipated ARM Mac chip could arrive as early as next year.

The company already moved toward ARM-based chips for iPhones and iPads, and performance has grown significantly in recent years. So much so, that Apple’s ARM chips now regularly beat Intel’s Mac chips in benchmark tests.

According to Bloomberg, Apple already has “at least one Mac” powered by Apple chips that’s ready to go in 2021. The new chips reportedly have at least 12 cores stacked up behind their processing power, putting Intel’s four-core Mac chips to shame.

(Quick fact: Put simply, the more cores a processor has, the more tasks the device can process at once.)

The Bloomberg report also notes that Apple tapped its favorite fabricator to make its new ARM Mac chips: Taiwan Semiconductor Co. (NYSE: TSM). So, not only is this news positive for Apple, it could help Taiwan Semi move a bit further away from reliance on Huawei Technologies Co. for revenue growth.

Sorry, Intel, but you’re out in the cold on this one.

Best: Great Stuff Picks!

It’s been a while since Great Stuff has come across a company that we believe in enough to recommend buying. Today, however, we have a winner.

Citrix Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CTXS) is the consummate work-from-home company.

The firm specializes in networking, virtual apps, virtual desktops and cloud-based collaboration and file sharing. If you’re among the millions working from home right now, chances are you use at least one piece of software or service from Citrix.

Because of the surge in at-home work, Citrix saw a blowout first quarter. Net income soared 82% year over year, with adjusted earnings beating the consensus estimate by $0.56 per share. Revenue spiked 20% to $861 million and beat Wall Street’s expectations.

Citrix even put full-year guidance above the Street’s target, and that strength is poised to continue. In its earnings release, Citrix said:

In response to our customers’ need to quickly support nearly all employees working from home, we created a more flexible, shorter duration offering in the form of a limited use on-premises term subscription at a discounted price. As a result, we saw considerable upside to ‘other subscription’ reported revenue.

In other words, the company adapted rapidly to soaring work-at-home demand, and it even priced subscription packages competitively. This competitive pricing will be key going forward.

Despite a move to reopen the economy in many states, the pandemic won’t let up anytime soon. Furthermore, many companies may decide that the work-from-home model is more cost effective once the shelter-in-place directives are lifted.

As such, Citrix should continue to see impressive revenue growth through the end of the year and through the first half of 2021.

The best part about CTXS shares right now? Wall Street investors sold-off on the news. The shares dropped more than 6% despite the company’s beat-and-raise quarter. This profit-taking is our opportunity.

The Bottom Line: Buy CTXS.

You yelled “Marco,” and now it’s “Polo” time!

This week, our inbox is nigh overflowing with all the greatness you all sent in. Today, we talk about returning vets, essential faith and retro-futuristic late ‘80s rock. Now, I’ll stop yapping and turn it over to you. Here’s what Great Stuff readers are thinking about this week:

What’s Essential at Heart

My store is considered essential so I’m still working. Plus I am PRN as a caregiver. When I’m not working, I’m in the YouVersion Bible app.

— Jennifer L.

Thank you for writing in, Jennifer! No matter how dire things may seem, remember that you and every other essential worker are what’s keeping this whole perilous house of cards from — well, best not to put that bad juju out there…

Regardless, thank you for what you do and the care you provide. Your email is a valid reminder for everyone out there: Whatever you do and however you do it, keep the faith. (Like wearing matador boots and a tight pair of chinos.) Losing a few portfolio percentage points has nothing on losing your sanity.

Futures Facts

You realize it was oil futures that were negative. — John A.

Yessir. Futures. Oil. Future oil. It’s top of the page in the article linked in Tuesday’s issue, copied here for posterity.

Did you know dogs and bees can smell fear? Did you know the human head weighs eight pounds? Did you know my neighbor has three rabbits? Did you know that underneath the Denver airport — OK, I’ll stop before we “disappear.”

Warren Pieces

Mr. zevons masterpiece work “transverse city” though made a long time ago so fits [our] dystopian present situation I can’t stop playing it… splendid isolation indeed.

— Chris S.

Not to mention, the absolute quality of that album’s cameos.

Jerry Garcia, David Gilmour, Neil Young and Chick Corea?! The late ‘80s were strange, strange times. Thank you for taking me back to them, Chris. If you’re looking for some tape to spool, some wax to spin or … tracks to stream, I guess, run straight down to check out Warren Zevon’s Transverse City.

Wet/Vet Newbies

Hello Joseph your insights and information are most welcome. I’m a “rookie” mini vet (whatever that means). I guess a wet newbie who took a long hiatus who is interested in knowing how progressively bad the economic news will affect the markets. I don’t expect a fortune teller but will appreciate your insights.

— Max G.

First off, thank you for tuning in, Max, and welcome back from your hiatus!

See, the best part about Great Stuff — well, speaking for ourselves here — is that we welcome rookies and vets alike. No matter how much you know or don’t know about the market, just know that Great Stuff has the know-how to demystify any market know-nothing shenanigans … you know?

Buy, Buy, Buy

What to buy now

— Lenore C.

Why, you picked a perfect time to write in, Lenore! Check out our write-up on CTXS above. (You didn’t scroll past it, now, did you? These are Great Stuff picks we’re talking about!)

I expect to see the same scenario play out with other companies this manic earnings season. So, keep a close, discerning eye out over the next month or so. I’ve harped on this for a while now, but every company you see reports from will face some kind of COVID-19 impact — it’s just a matter of how much damage.

It’s Wall Street’s overreaction or underreaction to said damage that unveils your bargain buys.

Nevertheless, do tread carefully, Lenore, Max and all you lurking vets and newbies out there! Today’s bizarre action is just a glimpse of the rough ride ahead through earnings season.

Of course, you don’t have to go it alone. Navigating the murky market waters is always best with a guide. Click here to find yours!

I want to give a huge “thanks!” to Jennifer, John, Chris, Max, Lenore and everyone else who wrote in! I

Have you written to us yet? No?! Feel free to speak your mind — drop us a line at [email protected].

That’s a wrap for today, but if you still crave more Great Stuff, check us out on social media: Facebook and Twitter.

Until next time, be Great!

Regards,

Joseph Hargett

Editor, Great Stuff

[goldira01]

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

When are you gonna come down? When are you going to land?

Filings for initial jobless claims jumped by 4.4 million last week, the U.S. Department of Labor reported today … and the market rallied.

No, this isn’t déjà vu. This isn’t a glitch in the Matrix … no matter how much we wish it was.

It gets worse. During the past five weeks, the U.S. economy saw 26.4 million people file for unemployment benefits. In other words, we’ve lost all the jobs created since the Great Recession of 2008 … and the market rallied.

According to Paul Ashworth, chief U.S. economist at Capital Economics, the latest jobless claims data could translate to an unemployment rate of 23% when the Department of Labor releases its official jobs data next week.

The previous peak for U.S. unemployment was 24.9% during the Great Depression.

So, with that horrendous backdrop, why is Wall Street in rally mode today?

One word: Oil.

For the second day in a row, the U.S. June oil futures contract soared, climbing more than 25% to trade firmly above $17 per barrel. International oil prices topped $20 per barrel.

Traders are betting on U.S. oil production cuts and rising tensions in the Middle East. President Trump provided the latter with yesterday’s threat to “destroy” Iranian gunboats in the Persian Gulf. As for U.S. production cuts … well, with U.S. shale oil companies on the verge of bankruptcy, this one’s a no-brainer.

The Takeaway: 

On days like today, I feel like I should have stayed on the farm. I should have listened to my old man.

Practically every economic indicator points toward the worst U.S. economy since the Great Depression, and yet, Wall Street rallied. It’s bizarro world.

The problem here is that we are investors. We rely on accurate data to make decisions. Right now, that data says to duck and cover.

But, if you completely duck and cover, you miss out on potential gains in this irrational market at best. And, at worst, you lose money by betting against the market.

Here at Great Stuff, we’re convinced that the market has not seen the bottom. But you can be right and still lose money. Remember, markets can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent.

So, while you hold most of your capital in safe havens like gold, currencies and bonds, it might be worthwhile to throw a bit of cash toward the market’s insanity.

(And I realize that by tilting a little bullish, I may have just called a top to the recent rally. Ha!)

But to do this, you need to do it safely. One of Great Stuff’s major themes this year has been finding your guide.

I cannot stress this enough: The market is far from normal right now.

Going out on your own is dangerous.

You need someone to point you in the right direction, especially when looking for positive returns in the current market madness.

That’s why it pays to listen to Banyan Hill experts like Jeff Yastine — those investors and researchers who have been there, done that when it comes to bizarre, out-of-touch markets.

When sifting through Wall Street’s noise, Jeff relies on a simple formula that lets him see through the financial smoke and mirrors to predict which stocks have the true potential to soar.

Not to mention, this formula helped Jeff show his readers’ cumulative gains of 1,091% in the past five years alone. And that’s the kind of guide you want to stick with through this topsy-turvy tumult.

You know you want to learn more about this formula, so what are you waiting for? Click here now.

Good: Stay on Target

Sometimes, your best just isn’t good enough. That’s quickly becoming a common theme for corporations this year, especially in retail.

This morning, Target Inc. (NYSE: TGT) reported that month-to-date comparable sales rose 5% in April. What’s more, quarter-to-date same-store sales are up 7%, while online sales skyrocketed 275% year over year.

Considering that U.S. retail sales plunged 8.7% in March, Target really hit the mark.

But Wall Street just wasn’t satisfied. Analysts pointed out that, while sales for essential goods are up by double digits, Target’s sales for high-margin goods, such as apparel and accessories, are down 40% for the quarter.

Furthermore, the brokerage bunch expects 8.9% same-store sales growth from Target — well above the company’s projected 7% growth.

In short, Target is performing rather well when you consider the U.S. economy’s pandemic lockdown. It’s just not enough to appease overzealous Wall Street analysts.

Better: Apple Gets an ARM Up

Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) kicked Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC) to the curb. According to a Bloomberg report, the long-anticipated ARM Mac chip could arrive as early as next year.

The company already moved toward ARM-based chips for iPhones and iPads, and performance has grown significantly in recent years. So much so, that Apple’s ARM chips now regularly beat Intel’s Mac chips in benchmark tests.

According to Bloomberg, Apple already has “at least one Mac” powered by Apple chips that’s ready to go in 2021. The new chips reportedly have at least 12 cores stacked up behind their processing power, putting Intel’s four-core Mac chips to shame.

(Quick fact: Put simply, the more cores a processor has, the more tasks the device can process at once.)

The Bloomberg report also notes that Apple tapped its favorite fabricator to make its new ARM Mac chips: Taiwan Semiconductor Co. (NYSE: TSM). So, not only is this news positive for Apple, it could help Taiwan Semi move a bit further away from reliance on Huawei Technologies Co. for revenue growth.

Sorry, Intel, but you’re out in the cold on this one.

Best: Great Stuff Picks!

It’s been a while since Great Stuff has come across a company that we believe in enough to recommend buying. Today, however, we have a winner.

Citrix Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CTXS) is the consummate work-from-home company.

The firm specializes in networking, virtual apps, virtual desktops and cloud-based collaboration and file sharing. If you’re among the millions working from home right now, chances are you use at least one piece of software or service from Citrix.

Because of the surge in at-home work, Citrix saw a blowout first quarter. Net income soared 82% year over year, with adjusted earnings beating the consensus estimate by $0.56 per share. Revenue spiked 20% to $861 million and beat Wall Street’s expectations.

Citrix even put full-year guidance above the Street’s target, and that strength is poised to continue. In its earnings release, Citrix said:

In response to our customers’ need to quickly support nearly all employees working from home, we created a more flexible, shorter duration offering in the form of a limited use on-premises term subscription at a discounted price. As a result, we saw considerable upside to ‘other subscription’ reported revenue.

In other words, the company adapted rapidly to soaring work-at-home demand, and it even priced subscription packages competitively. This competitive pricing will be key going forward.

Despite a move to reopen the economy in many states, the pandemic won’t let up anytime soon. Furthermore, many companies may decide that the work-from-home model is more cost effective once the shelter-in-place directives are lifted.

As such, Citrix should continue to see impressive revenue growth through the end of the year and through the first half of 2021.

The best part about CTXS shares right now? Wall Street investors sold-off on the news. The shares dropped more than 6% despite the company’s beat-and-raise quarter. This profit-taking is our opportunity.

The Bottom Line: Buy CTXS.

You yelled “Marco,” and now it’s “Polo” time!

This week, our inbox is nigh overflowing with all the greatness you all sent in. Today, we talk about returning vets, essential faith and retro-futuristic late ‘80s rock. Now, I’ll stop yapping and turn it over to you. Here’s what Great Stuff readers are thinking about this week:

What’s Essential at Heart

My store is considered essential so I’m still working. Plus I am PRN as a caregiver. When I’m not working, I’m in the YouVersion Bible app.

— Jennifer L.

Thank you for writing in, Jennifer! No matter how dire things may seem, remember that you and every other essential worker are what’s keeping this whole perilous house of cards from — well, best not to put that bad juju out there…

Regardless, thank you for what you do and the care you provide. Your email is a valid reminder for everyone out there: Whatever you do and however you do it, keep the faith. (Like wearing matador boots and a tight pair of chinos.) Losing a few portfolio percentage points has nothing on losing your sanity.

Futures Facts

You realize it was oil futures that were negative. — John A.

Yessir. Futures. Oil. Future oil. It’s top of the page in the article linked in Tuesday’s issue, copied here for posterity.

Did you know dogs and bees can smell fear? Did you know the human head weighs eight pounds? Did you know my neighbor has three rabbits? Did you know that underneath the Denver airport — OK, I’ll stop before we “disappear.”

Warren Pieces

Mr. zevons masterpiece work “transverse city” though made a long time ago so fits [our] dystopian present situation I can’t stop playing it… splendid isolation indeed.

— Chris S.

Not to mention, the absolute quality of that album’s cameos.

Jerry Garcia, David Gilmour, Neil Young and Chick Corea?! The late ‘80s were strange, strange times. Thank you for taking me back to them, Chris. If you’re looking for some tape to spool, some wax to spin or … tracks to stream, I guess, run straight down to check out Warren Zevon’s Transverse City.

Wet/Vet Newbies

Hello Joseph your insights and information are most welcome. I’m a “rookie” mini vet (whatever that means). I guess a wet newbie who took a long hiatus who is interested in knowing how progressively bad the economic news will affect the markets. I don’t expect a fortune teller but will appreciate your insights.

— Max G.

First off, thank you for tuning in, Max, and welcome back from your hiatus!

See, the best part about Great Stuff — well, speaking for ourselves here — is that we welcome rookies and vets alike. No matter how much you know or don’t know about the market, just know that Great Stuff has the know-how to demystify any market know-nothing shenanigans … you know?

Buy, Buy, Buy

What to buy now

— Lenore C.

Why, you picked a perfect time to write in, Lenore! Check out our write-up on CTXS above. (You didn’t scroll past it, now, did you? These are Great Stuff picks we’re talking about!)

I expect to see the same scenario play out with other companies this manic earnings season. So, keep a close, discerning eye out over the next month or so. I’ve harped on this for a while now, but every company you see reports from will face some kind of COVID-19 impact — it’s just a matter of how much damage.

It’s Wall Street’s overreaction or underreaction to said damage that unveils your bargain buys.

Nevertheless, do tread carefully, Lenore, Max and all you lurking vets and newbies out there! Today’s bizarre action is just a glimpse of the rough ride ahead through earnings season.

Of course, you don’t have to go it alone. Navigating the murky market waters is always best with a guide. Click here to find yours!

I want to give a huge “thanks!” to Jennifer, John, Chris, Max, Lenore and everyone else who wrote in! I

Have you written to us yet? No?! Feel free to speak your mind — drop us a line at [email protected].

That’s a wrap for today, but if you still crave more Great Stuff, check us out on social media: Facebook and Twitter.

Until next time, be Great!

Regards,

Joseph Hargett

Editor, Great Stuff

#Timor Invest

[41international]

Knowing that the Polish 41 association counts only one club situated in Gdansk, It was a bit strange for me to learn that the Polish AGM would take place in Krakow, about 800 km from there. Strange but pleasant. I had been in Krakow before and I knew I could get a straight and rather cheap flight to go there from Brussels. In addition, the city is pretty nice in the spring.  However  I did not know exactly what to expect in terms of attendance since the only club is composed of just a dozen members. Would I be the only international guest ?

[su_row][su_column size=”1/3″]

[/su_column]  [su_column size=”2/3″]I was wrong. Hardly had I landed on Friday at 10:00 when I was met by Lukasz Stolarczyk, the local IRO in the luggage retrieval area. He had just landed too and after a qui k call confirmed that, Cesary Bak, the president was on his way to pick me up at the airport. He even indicated the exact point where he would park and that  was where I met him 3 minutes later.

We immediately joined an odd 25 more people who where visiting the city. The group included members from Romania, GB&I (or should I say I&GB, this year 😉 ?), with IRO Peter Good and Andy Waite and Lawrence Bamber, and from Finland and Germany, with vice-president Manfred Wilms, and The Netherlands, with IRO Roy Kroos, and Peter Ornee (also Romania),  Switzerland with IRO Simon Medley, Austria, with IRO Alfred Krenn, and many spouses…

After the visit of the royal castle  in Krakow we had lunch in town and then enjoyed a motorized tour of the old city. Then it was time to head for Niepołomice and the main hotel and conference centre built in the old royal residence, about 40 min east from Krakow. The place was really impressive and the rooms including all the modern comfort  were decorated in the old 18-19th century style. Even the telephones were designed to look old.

The BBQed local specialties were waiting for us outside the castle and we were joined by more newer and older friends such as past president Karol Rzewuski whom I had met so many times as a tabler first and later in 41. The evening out was very nice and the atmosphere very relaxed, with beers and wine.

In the morning I skipped breakfast to deal with urgent YAP matters (as the Belgian YAP convenor I was to greet and help host the Indian Yappers who were arriving in Belgium just an hour after my return). After a few mails and technical issues with my multimedia presentations, it was time for the official AGM to start. Cesary presented the situation of the national association. I presented Ulrich’s official address and education project, then Sid’s 41 International kit to be sold in support of a local Indian educative programme, then the Brussels international AGM Of 2019 and last my personal motto for next year – Make a tabler (or a Lady).

During the conference, we heard a 30 minutes presentation of the Polish national service project by members of the local beneficent association. The new board was elected with new president Grzegorz committing to develop RT in Poland again.

After lunch in the castle, we headed to Wieliczka to visit the famous salt mine and its underground Cathedral carved in the salt.

After that interesting tour in an amazing place, we drove back to our hotel and prepared for the evening gala and banner exchange. Although we were a small number, we enjoyed a fully musical dinner and party with everybody having fun and dancing on BoneyM and other disco and international and local pop songs. Lawrence Bamber especially had fun, dancing and singing along with the beautiful band singer.

I left early after breakfast and was driven back to the airport by Cesary. Thank you, Polish friends for a nice AGM!

Luc Trigaux

41 International VP

[/su_column][/su_row]

    Vice President Report: Polish AGM in Krakow [Luc Trigaux] Knowing that the Polish 41 association counts only one club situated in Gdansk, It was a bit strange for me to learn that the Polish AGM would take place in Krakow, about 800 km from there.

[awesomecolorfulcollectorwombat]

JD.com: Ridiculous Sell-Off Creates A Strong Buying Opportunity

New Post has been published on http://brummy80.com/jd-com-ridiculous-sell-off-creates-a-strong-buying-opportunity/

JD.com: Ridiculous Sell-Off Creates A Strong Buying Opportunity

JD.com (JD) and Google, the search engine unit of Alphabet (GOOG)(GOOGL) announced a comprehensive partnership following an equity injection exercise with cash from the latter. The news was well received by the market and the share prices of both companies rose on the day of the announcement (June 18).

JD Price data by YCharts

Unfortunately, President Trump reignited the trade kerfuffle with China and the resultant stock market swoon dragged JD down to below its closing price last Friday. That meant the gains from the positive deal with Google had all but disappeared and amazingly it lost even more. President Trump’s warning that a further eye-popping $200 billion worth of imports could be included in the trade war made sentiment worse. Yet, Alphabet managed to stay above the closing price of last Friday.

JD and Google Join Hands

Let’s forget about the share price movement for the time being and look at the implications of the partnership between China’s largest retailer and the highly pervasive internet company with a dominant search engine. First, the deal involves an investment ($550 million) by Google in JD.com. Consequently, this is not a simple collaborative project and Google has a deeper interest to see the partnership bear fruits for long-term benefits.

Interestingly, this appears to tie in well with the Google-Tencent deal which I discussed in a January article to be superbly complementary since Tencent has an equity stake in JD as well (18.1 percent). Given shared interests, I would expect the trio to be working out synergistic initiatives for the benefit of all since the results would be better than if each of the two Chinese players has collaborated in isolation with Google. Citi analyst Alicia Yap suggested that JD could leverage Google’s Shopping Action platform to increase its visibility outside China such as Thailand and Indonesia where JD is currently strengthening its operations in. In the January agreement, Google and Tencent were to collaborate on “future technology developments”, a very broad statement.

Secondly, this also meant that JD.com is now owned by two major US corporations – Walmart (WMT) and Alphabet, a strong backing through which JD can leverage on to expand overseas. Walmart came into the picture after JD.com acquired the Chinese online grocery business of Walmart, Yihaodian, in June 2016. In return, Walmart received a 5 percent stake in JD.com. Walmart’s ownership has since doubled to 10.1 percent. Examples of collaboration include a Sam’s Club Flagship Store on JD.com, the Walmart Global Flagship Store on JD Worldwide, and a two-hour delivery service from some Walmart Stores in China through the JD Daojia app.

In this case, again, Walmart has also previously announced a partnership with Google to enter the voice-shopping market as they team up to fight Amazon (AMZN) in its turf. As such, Google has demonstrated its intention to establish broader alliances to achieve greater impact and better synergies.

JD Delivers On 618 Shopping Festival

In my article last month on JD and Alibaba (BABA), I mentioned that the share prices of the two e-commerce giants could benefit from the positive media coverage regarding the sales momentum during the “618” shopping festival. In the 18-day long mid-year shopping extravaganza that concluded on June 18, JD.com did not disappoint. It managed to achieve a 37 percent increase in sales over the prior year’s event. Total sales amounted to RMB 159.2 billion (US$24.6 billion). In contrast, JD made RMB 362.3 billion in revenue in the whole of 2017 and just RMB 100.1 billion in Q1 2018.

Nevertheless, while the share prices of both Alibaba and JD indeed rose in the past weeks, it is practically impossible to quantify how much of the gain was attributable to the hype surrounding the shopping festival, not that the distinction matters for the shareholders though. Periodic affirmation of the duo’s ability to grow sales helps to reassure investors that their stellar growth momentum remains on track and keep short-sellers at bay.

Investor Takeaway

Despite the strong endorsement from Google in the tangible form of an equity injection, the share price of JD only managed to eke out a small gain. Even that little appreciation quickly dissipated after President Trump reignited the trade kerfuffle with China. In fact, JD is now trading below the price before the announcement of the Google deal.

For those concerned on Chinese name over possible accounting shenanigans, you would be pleased to know that JD has recently appointed a respected figure in accounting, Dingbo Xu, to its board. Professor Xu is currently Essilor Chair Professor in Accounting and an associate dean at China Europe International Business School (“CEIBS”) in Shanghai and has served on several large public companies’ boards, including People’s Insurance of China Limited and China Cinda Asset Management. Professor Xu received his Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Minnesota.

Based on the price chart, JD has broken out of a multi-month descending triangle formation in early June. It has also clearly bounced off the two-year support line which has been well-tested in four prior occasions.

For those waiting to get vested in this top retailer in China or add to an existing position, the sell-down today on the fuzzy impact of a trade war on JD has certainly opened up an opportunity. It is a better time to do so now than last week, with the gains following the complementary tie-up with Google returned to the market. On Monday, JD’s share price hiked more than 10 percent in the pre-opening session. Many investors waiting on the sidelines were likely to have the feeling that the train had left the station. The JD train has returned to the station merely a day later. Would you be on board this time?

What’s your take? Do you think the sell-down is justified? Please freely share your thoughts, let me know if you found this article useful or provide your feedback in the comments section.

Author’s Note: Thank you for reading. If you would like a refreshing take on stocks that you own or are interested in, try looking here. Besides US companies, I cover a number of Asian stocks as well. If you wish to be informed of my new ideas on Seeking Alpha via email so that you have time to read them before the articles get locked behind a paywall 10 days from publication, please select “Receive email alerts” when accessing on a desktop computer.

Disclosure: I am/we are long BABA, JD, TCEHY.

I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

[hostingnewsfeed]

JD.com: Ridiculous Sell-Off Creates A Strong Buying Opportunity

New Post has been published on http://brummy80.com/jd-com-ridiculous-sell-off-creates-a-strong-buying-opportunity/

JD.com: Ridiculous Sell-Off Creates A Strong Buying Opportunity

JD.com (JD) and Google, the search engine unit of Alphabet (GOOG)(GOOGL) announced a comprehensive partnership following an equity injection exercise with cash from the latter. The news was well received by the market and the share prices of both companies rose on the day of the announcement (June 18).

JD Price data by YCharts

Unfortunately, President Trump reignited the trade kerfuffle with China and the resultant stock market swoon dragged JD down to below its closing price last Friday. That meant the gains from the positive deal with Google had all but disappeared and amazingly it lost even more. President Trump’s warning that a further eye-popping $200 billion worth of imports could be included in the trade war made sentiment worse. Yet, Alphabet managed to stay above the closing price of last Friday.

JD and Google Join Hands

Let’s forget about the share price movement for the time being and look at the implications of the partnership between China’s largest retailer and the highly pervasive internet company with a dominant search engine. First, the deal involves an investment ($550 million) by Google in JD.com. Consequently, this is not a simple collaborative project and Google has a deeper interest to see the partnership bear fruits for long-term benefits.

Interestingly, this appears to tie in well with the Google-Tencent deal which I discussed in a January article to be superbly complementary since Tencent has an equity stake in JD as well (18.1 percent). Given shared interests, I would expect the trio to be working out synergistic initiatives for the benefit of all since the results would be better than if each of the two Chinese players has collaborated in isolation with Google. Citi analyst Alicia Yap suggested that JD could leverage Google’s Shopping Action platform to increase its visibility outside China such as Thailand and Indonesia where JD is currently strengthening its operations in. In the January agreement, Google and Tencent were to collaborate on “future technology developments”, a very broad statement.

Secondly, this also meant that JD.com is now owned by two major US corporations – Walmart (WMT) and Alphabet, a strong backing through which JD can leverage on to expand overseas. Walmart came into the picture after JD.com acquired the Chinese online grocery business of Walmart, Yihaodian, in June 2016. In return, Walmart received a 5 percent stake in JD.com. Walmart’s ownership has since doubled to 10.1 percent. Examples of collaboration include a Sam’s Club Flagship Store on JD.com, the Walmart Global Flagship Store on JD Worldwide, and a two-hour delivery service from some Walmart Stores in China through the JD Daojia app.

In this case, again, Walmart has also previously announced a partnership with Google to enter the voice-shopping market as they team up to fight Amazon (AMZN) in its turf. As such, Google has demonstrated its intention to establish broader alliances to achieve greater impact and better synergies.

JD Delivers On 618 Shopping Festival

In my article last month on JD and Alibaba (BABA), I mentioned that the share prices of the two e-commerce giants could benefit from the positive media coverage regarding the sales momentum during the “618” shopping festival. In the 18-day long mid-year shopping extravaganza that concluded on June 18, JD.com did not disappoint. It managed to achieve a 37 percent increase in sales over the prior year’s event. Total sales amounted to RMB 159.2 billion (US$24.6 billion). In contrast, JD made RMB 362.3 billion in revenue in the whole of 2017 and just RMB 100.1 billion in Q1 2018.

Nevertheless, while the share prices of both Alibaba and JD indeed rose in the past weeks, it is practically impossible to quantify how much of the gain was attributable to the hype surrounding the shopping festival, not that the distinction matters for the shareholders though. Periodic affirmation of the duo’s ability to grow sales helps to reassure investors that their stellar growth momentum remains on track and keep short-sellers at bay.

Investor Takeaway

Despite the strong endorsement from Google in the tangible form of an equity injection, the share price of JD only managed to eke out a small gain. Even that little appreciation quickly dissipated after President Trump reignited the trade kerfuffle with China. In fact, JD is now trading below the price before the announcement of the Google deal.

For those concerned on Chinese name over possible accounting shenanigans, you would be pleased to know that JD has recently appointed a respected figure in accounting, Dingbo Xu, to its board. Professor Xu is currently Essilor Chair Professor in Accounting and an associate dean at China Europe International Business School (“CEIBS”) in Shanghai and has served on several large public companies’ boards, including People’s Insurance of China Limited and China Cinda Asset Management. Professor Xu received his Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Minnesota.

Based on the price chart, JD has broken out of a multi-month descending triangle formation in early June. It has also clearly bounced off the two-year support line which has been well-tested in four prior occasions.

For those waiting to get vested in this top retailer in China or add to an existing position, the sell-down today on the fuzzy impact of a trade war on JD has certainly opened up an opportunity. It is a better time to do so now than last week, with the gains following the complementary tie-up with Google returned to the market. On Monday, JD’s share price hiked more than 10 percent in the pre-opening session. Many investors waiting on the sidelines were likely to have the feeling that the train had left the station. The JD train has returned to the station merely a day later. Would you be on board this time?

What’s your take? Do you think the sell-down is justified? Please freely share your thoughts, let me know if you found this article useful or provide your feedback in the comments section.

Author’s Note: Thank you for reading. If you would like a refreshing take on stocks that you own or are interested in, try looking here. Besides US companies, I cover a number of Asian stocks as well. If you wish to be informed of my new ideas on Seeking Alpha via email so that you have time to read them before the articles get locked behind a paywall 10 days from publication, please select “Receive email alerts” when accessing on a desktop computer.

Disclosure: I am/we are long BABA, JD, TCEHY.

I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.